Could This All Be The End?
by watchyourmouthsunshine
Summary: After Rick Grimes hires Kidada Reed at the King County Sheriff's Department, she impresses everyone. Smart, level headed, and skilled. When she discovers her partner is taking bribes and goes in to report him, she finds that the dead are attacking the living in her town. After escaping with her best friend to head to Atlanta, she wonders if this really is the end. Eventual Daryl/OC
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **

**Hey guys! This is my first published story. This is just the prologue to give a little insight to my OC and how things were for her before the apocalypse began without giving too much away. I will delve deeper into her and the story once the chapters are written. I would love reviews to help me out with my story once the chapters are posted and a little feedback on what you think so far of just the little preview. Thank you guys so much for checking it out!  
**

* * *

**Prologue**

Kidada Reed had finally made a name for herself in the department. She had worked hard in college and graduated a year early with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and finished graduate school in a year with a master's degree by the age of 21. Every officer in the King County Sheriff's Department was impressed with her credentials and her results at the end of the police academy. Not to mention, the only other female officer they had left to find work elsewhere. Hiring another female looked good on their behalf and she was hired the same day she applied. Her entire family was there to show their endless support when she was sworn in and assigned a partner, Jacob Calhoun.

Jake and Kida had gone through the same police academy together and were hired in at the same time, though he was three years older. The sheriff's deputy, Rick Grimes, was the one in charge of finding replacements for the recently retired officer and the female officer that had left. He couldn't have found anyone more perfect for the job than Kidada Reed. She was smart, level headed, and knew what she was doing. Jacob Calhoun on the other hand was large, hot headed, and cocky. What she lacked in muscle, he made up for. What he lacked in knowledge, she made up for by miles. They were the perfect team in Rick's eyes and he had no regrets about hiring them. His partner, Shane Walsh, was thrilled to have another female nearby and he made than known on more than one occasion.

Though Kida and Jake bumped heads on nearly everything, there was no doubt they would have each other's back no matter what was going to happen. She eventually hooked her partner up with her best friend, Adrienne James. They had known each other since they were young and became best friends during college. Kida had even been the one to put her name in with the social workers frequently hanging around the King County Sheriff's Department working on cases. Kida worked closely with a few and was able to get Adrienne a job. She was able to fight crime and have lunch with her best friend every day. What wasn't there to love about that job?

After five years with the department, Shane Walsh called Kida to tell her the horrible news. It was 3pm on her day off when she received the call that her parents were killed in a car accident. It was a relief to find out what he and Rick had taken care of it and caught the people who caused it, but Rick had been shot in the process of taking them down. He went into a coma. She wasn't too close with Rick or the Grimes family, but his wife Lori was always kind to her in passing. She admired the woman for being able to deal with the constant work Rick dealt with while raising their son, Carl. Shane had asked her to accompany him to tell Lori and Carl the news about Rick. She agreed and made sure the woman and her son knew what a wonderful and brave man Rick Grimes was.

Over the next week, things began to go crazy. There were reports all over the news about crazed people attacking one another and feasting on flesh. Kida had never seen anything like it. She tried to write it off as untreated insanity or a bad reaction to drugs, but the reports just kept coming. They were told at the department to keep an eye out for any sort of behavior correlating with the news reports. It was around that time that Jake began to act differently. He became more aggressive and during their shift he made numerous stops in odd places, ordering Kida to stay in the car. She knew Jake was always hot headed and cocky, with not much regard for anyone but himself, but she always remained calm and civil around him. After all, he was her partner and he and Adrienne recently became engaged. She knew something was wrong, but she couldn't say anything without proof.

The day the apocalypse began in Georgia was the day she got her proof. She had made a stop at the hospital to visit Rick and check on his status. Upon leaving, she saw Jake across the street in one of the station's unmarked police cars making a deal with someone incredibly shady. That's when she saw the fat envelope being passed to Jake discreetly before he drove off. She had tried to beat him to the station but he had arrived before her. When he took his lunch break she searched his desk and found over $70,000 in different envelopes. He was taking bribes, she was sure of it now. How the hell did he get his hands on so much money? She raced to find someone to report it to when everyone in station began shouting a running outside. The attacks had reached King County.

Once she realized what those things were, she took a few guns from the station along with ammo and raced to her apartment. Her street hadn't been hit yet by those things and she was able to pack a few bags to get the hell out of there. After getting a hold of Adrienne she found out that her mother and her older brother had become those things and her little brother, Charlie, had killed them before they could get to him and Adrienne. After high-tailing it out of her complex and getting to the James household, she helped them get anything they needed into the car and they were out of there. Adrienne tried numerous times to get a hold of Jake but failed every time. Kida knew better than she did that the asshole left without her. While Adrienne continued to try to get in touch with Jake, Kida got a hold of Shane.

They were heading to Atlanta.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

**Well guys, here is the first official chapter! I wanted it to cover the trip to Atlanta before setting up the camp seen in the first episode. The first couple chapters will cover the time before the group finds Rick and then get into the main story. I wanted to give a little brief introduction to my OCs before you read this. I hope you like it!**

**Kidada "Kida" Reed:** 26 years old, 5'5", brown hair, blue eyes, police officer, only child, parents died the day Rick got shot, her partner is Jacob Calhoun, Adrienne is her best friend (**Lyndsy Fonseca is who I imagined for her**)

**Adrienne James:** 27 years old, 5'10", blonde hair, hazel eyes, social worker, youngest brother Charlie is alive, oldest brother Marcus is dead, both parents dead, engaged to Jacob Calhoun, Kida is her best friend (**Shantel VanSanten is who I imagined for her**)

**Charlie James:** 19 years old, 6'2", brown hair, blue eyes, college student, older sister Adrienne is alive, older brother Marcus is dead, both parents dead  
(**Freddie Highmore is who I pictured for him**)

**Jacob Calhoun:** 29 years old, 6'4", brown hair, brown eyes, police officer, unknown family status, engaged to Adrienne James, his partner is Kida  
(**I pictured Ryan Reynolds for him, but a little younger and slightly taller**)

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**Chapter 1**

"Are we there yet?" Charlie asked from the back seat. Kida looked into the rear-view mirror and caught his gaze, shaking her head at his inquiry. An audible groan escaped Charlie's mouth.

"We ain't doing this _'are we there yet'_ shit either. We'll get there when we get there. I'm already pushing 75 in a 60," she told him. She caught his gaze once more in the mirror and smirked to herself as he sighed in defeat.

Kida looked out the corner of her eye at her best friend in the passenger seat. Adrienne looked so defeated. I just a few hours time she watched her oldest brother, Marcus, turn into one of those flesh-eating beasts and attack her mother. She and Charlie managed to get to the bathroom and hide long enough for their mother's screams to subside. They thought it was safe and they had gone, but they couldn't have been more wrong. Charlie panicked while trying to protect his older sister and shot the thing that was once his older brother between the eyes. Their mother hadn't turned yet, but it was clear that Marcus had killed her. It was only a short time after packing their bags after a call from Kida that their mother turned. Charlie had to take of that too. At least he and Adrienne still had each other, but God only knows what was going through their heads.

Keeping her eyes on the road ahead, Kida reached over and placed her hand on top of Adrienne's. "He's alive. Don't worry. I'm sure he made his way up to Atlanta. Once we get to Shane, Lori, and Carl I'm sure he will either be with them or somewhere nearby. We'll find him," she told her.

They still hadn't managed to get a hold of Jake either. Though, truth be told, she kind of hoped he wouldn't be waiting there for them. It wasn't like she hated Jake or wished death upon him; it was that she knew something had changed about him. Though he was always arrogant and cocky, he still cared deeply about Adrienne and his job. In the past few weeks that had started to slip from him. Being his partner she always saw the best and worst of him on the job and the day she had gone to visit Rick and later returned to the station to find his bribe money she knew the best of him had disappeared. At least for that period of time it did. Maybe he was waiting for them; maybe she was wrong about him. She was extremely doubtful of that circumstance but she hoped, at least for Adrienne's sake, he was alive and well. She couldn't handle another loss.

Adrienne glanced at Kida and forced the best smile she could on her tear soaked face. The sight of her broke her best friend's heart. She loved the James family, they were always like a second family to her. She was thankful at least Adrienne and Charlie made it out. Meeting up with Shane would better their odds of survival. Sure, Shane Walsh was a bit of a flirt and a cocky bastard but he was skilled with firearms and knew survival skills. Kida knew she would need help protecting the last two members of the James family and she knew Shane would be a great help, even with Lori and Carl Grimes to protect too.

The immediate thought of Rick not being with his wife and son began to break her heart. She had just gone to see him earlier that day. If she had known the world was going to go to hell two hours later she would have tried to save him. She'd heard on the radio broadcasts that at-risk hospitals were evacuating patients and she hoped with all of her might that Rick would be transported to one of the larger Atlanta facilities and kept safe from these things. He was a good man, he deserved so much more than he was provided with in the past a few weeks. Maybe one day they'd find him and bring him back to Lori and Carl.

After awhile they hit Atlanta. The highway leading into the city was backed up and not one car was moving where they were. No one was getting into the city anytime soon. They were completely surrounded by cars and other angry people trying to get their families to safety. So many honks and shouts filled the air it was deafening. Kida pulled her phone out of her pocked and dialed Shane's number. He answered almost immediately after the second ring.

"Where are you?" he urgently yelled into the phone over the loud sounds surrounding the area.

"We're stranded out toward the back. Nothing is moving back here, it's completely jammed," she explained looking for something nearby to pinpoint her location to him.

"I'm up on the seat in my jeep looking toward the back. I'm waving my arms. Do you see me?"

Kida strained her eyes to see but all she could see was the back of the huge truck a few feet in front of her. She quickly climbed out of the driver's side of her Jeep Liberty, tucking her gun into the holster on her hip. She made her way around back and pulled herself to the top. She stood on the roof and surveyed her surroundings. Sure enough, she could see arms waving toward her in the far distance. She waved her arms back at him and pressed the phone back up to her ear. "I see you."

"I see you too. Who do you have with you? Calhoun?"

"No. He not with you guys?"

"No. Haven't seen him since this morning at the station," he told her truthfully. She pressed her lips together before answering him.

"I have Adrienne with me. We haven't heard from Jake. I have her little brother Charlie too. Their mom and brother didn't make it," she told him. A sad tone had come over her voice when mentioning Mrs. James and Marcus.

"Shit. I'm sorry Kida. Listen, they aren't letting anyone in right now and-" a loud noise cut off the last of his words before she saw him quickly turn in his jeep and face toward the sound. He was jumping out to run toward it. She saw Lori and Carl emerge as well and Lori took off after him while Carl stayed put with a family. She couldn't tell from as far away as she was who they were.

"SHANE! NO!" she shouted into the phone. It was no use, their call had ended.

Kida jumped off of the car and back into her spot in the driver's seat. She buckled her seat belt and turned to face Adrienne. Her eyes were as big as saucers, she was scared. It was all over her face. She turned to face Charlie and let a plan unfold quickly in her head. She reached over him and grabbed the bag of the few guns she had taken from the station was tossed one to Charlie and another to Adrienne with an extra clip each.

"Both of those are loaded," she told them. She watched the expression on Adrienne's face turn to utter horror at what was happening. Kida knew she had never shot a gun before, but now wasn't the time to take chances. Charlie, on the other hand, was already checking his out. He knew his way around a gun, which Kida was extremely thankful for. "I need you guys to have these ready at all times. If you see one of those things, shoot to kill. Adrienne, the safety on the side needs turned off before you shoot. Don't point it at anyone living and don't pull the trigger until you need to. If you're going to pull the trigger, you have to mean it. Got it?" Both James siblings nodded in response. "Now hold on," she told them before flooring the gas pedal.

She made her way around all of the cars on the highway and watched the families that had abandoned their own vehicles run. She stopped when she neared Shane's jeep and he signaled for a place for them to meet up so she could follow him. Three other cars followed Shane's and Kida's cars until they were far away from the highway. Shane stopped his jeep and stood up on his seat, peering at the scene that was unfolding where they just were minutes before. Kida and the drivers of the other cars followed suit and watched in horror as people were being gunned down. Those monsters had gotten out and into the mix. Kida's gaze met his and they had a silent understanding before getting back into their cars and continuing the trip to wherever the hell the road would take them.

Atlanta wasn't safe anymore and all hopes of a refugee camp were gone. They were on their own.

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**Thank you so much for reading guys! Please send me a review and let me know your thoughts! **

**I have gotten so much support from a few fellow authors and I want to give them all a huge shout out! I'd like you guys to go check out the author Poca and her story New World In My View, the author Backstroker98 and her story In This World, Nothing Makes Sense, author MistPhoenix and her story As It Consumes Us, and author crowfliesmyass and her story Horses and Crossbows and her new story Rope!**

**Chapter 2 will be here soon!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **

**Hey guys! I decided to post another chapter so soon! The new episode tonight got me a little excited and anxious. I'm going to try and get updates out on Thursdays and Sundays from now one. This one is a little slow, but I promise the next couple will pick up speed. Kida will be meeting a certain Dixon brother soon ;)**

**Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT FOR KIDADA, ADRIENNE, CHARLIE, AND JACOB.**

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**Chapter 2**

Kida followed Shane and what was left of the Grimes family down the highway. Adrienne sat in the passenger seat, knees pulled to her chest while sobbing at what they all had just witnessed while Charlie sat silently in the backseat staring out the window. He was never quiet and he was almost always restless. The reality of what was happening was beginning to hit the James siblings.

She wasn't hardened by her job as a police officer, but Kida had almost seen it all during her five years with the King County Sheriff's Department. Her first call on the job was a joint suicide by an old couple in a local nursing, something she wasn't expecting of course. She had thrown up on scene and cried as soon as she was in the safety of her police car and away from everyone else. She didn't want anyone to think she was weak, especially being the only female on the force and only being on one call. She learned after that day to shut her emotions off while on the job. Rick Grimes himself told her it gets easier to deal with after noticing the red and puffy eyes she sported when returning to the station to write up a report.

Rick.

As Kida drove in silence with Adrienne and Charlie she let her mind wander. She wondered where Rick was now, especially after the big scene outside of Atlanta. The city wasn't safe anymore and the broadcasts had said that hospitals were evacuating their patients to the nearest cities with large hospitals. Maybe he was sent somewhere else, somewhere that hasn't been hit as bad as everywhere they have been. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Lori and Carl were going through knowing that Rick was in the hospital and vulnerable to attacks. Or maybe they had gone to find him like Kida had gone to find Adrienne and Charlie. Maybe he wasn't able to be saved. Her heart dropped at the thought.

Shane's jeep slowed to a half a few feet ahead and all of the other cars following stopped in a semi-circle around him. He held out his hand to signal to the others not to exit their vehicles. He met Kida's eyes through the windshield and jerked his head toward the trees surrounding them. She reached back and grabbed a rile from the back seat next to Charlie and hopped out of her own jeep. She made her way over to Shane, taking in the lay of the land. None of those things were there- at least not yet.

"We need to check out this area. Make sure it's safe," Shane told her.

Kida nodded and glanced around. It was getting way too dark to be out on the roads, especially with the situation at hand. "Set up camp?"

"Yeah. Lori and Carl need to rest. It uh… It's been a long day for all of us," he said. His demeanor completely changed in a matter of seconds as he stared at the ground between them. It took her a moment, but she understood what he meant. She had thought about Rick during their travel and she knew that he and Shane were best friends. Hell, they were practically brothers.

"Rick…" she whispered. Shane lifted his head and met her eyes. She could see the sadness overcome them and she let out a rigid sigh. He was a good man. At least he didn't have to be out in this world. She just hoped he went quickly and painlessly and did not suffer the horrible fate whatever those monsters were served to those they attacked.

Kida strapped the rifle to her back and leaned forward to hug Shane, which he immediately returned. He squeezed her for a moment as his body shook. She knew he was crying and all she could do was let him. It wasn't too long, maybe a matter of a couple minutes, before he regained his composure. They both turned when they heard a car door open.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt but my family and I need to get out of this car. My wife needs to stretch her legs," a man called to them. He was tall, quite a bit taller than Kida. She could tell from his accent that he was Hispanic and she could see the light from the inside of the car illuminating over his family.

"We're going to check out this area and make sure none of those things are nearby. If it's all clear we will set up camp. Just give us a few minutes," Shane told him. The man nodded and got back into the car.

* * *

They had only found one of those monsters lurking around. Shane stabbed it through its temple to avoid wasting ammo and attracting more of them. They'd all noticed on the highway that even though there was plenty of fresh meat for them nearby, the gunfire and explosion drew them away and toward the sound. As long as they managed to keep quiet, they could get a good night of rest and formulate a plan in the morning.

Adrienne and Charlie sat around the fire with the others that had followed. Kida could hear a conversation going on but she chose to keep to herself and take stock of what weapons and how much ammo they all had between them. Between her and Shane they had a decent amount but the others had next to nothing. The Hispanic man that had gotten out of the car before they scouted the area and a black man that had followed them with an Asian man in tow were the only ones with good enough weapons to defend themselves. The family that Kida had spotting looking after Carl on the highway after Shane and Lori took off had nothing with them.

"You should come join us," a voice said behind her. Kida's head shot up and she turned, coming face to face with Lori.

"I um, I should stay here. I'm taking inventory," she told her. The woman looked rough, and Kida couldn't blame her after everything she had gone through.

"That will be there in the morning. Kidada you've been such a huge help. If it weren't for you and Shane, Carl and I… You should come sit with us. Get to know everyone and have something to eat. You'll need your strength for tomorrow."

Kida hated being called by her full first name. She had wrinkled her nose subconsciously when Lori had said it but she could see the urgency in her eyes. She wanted everyone safe and in one place. Placing the clip she had been messing with back in her trunk, Kida reluctantly agreed. She was a bit curious about the people that had followed them, she needed to know who they were and make sure Adrienne and Charlie would be safe around them.

"Hey kid," she said, taking a seat next to Charlie. He was eating something out of a bowl and turned to her to smile. He actually looked happy.

"Hey! We saved you some. I practically had to fight Glenn to save this can for you," he told her while shoving a can at her. An immediate smile came over her face as she read the label. Charlie knew how much she loved spaghetti-o's. "AND it has those gross meatballs in it that you love," he told her, his face scrunched up in disgust. She immediately grabbed the can opener as Charlie handed her a bowl.

"The damn apocalypse is here and you're excited over a can of nasty ass spaghetti-o's?," Shane called to her from across the fire, a look of amusement set on his face. The rest of the group laughed and continued on with their own meals.

"I'll have you know Shane Walsh, I have always loved these. We didn't have much money growing up and my parents use to make me eat spaghetti-o's and Chef Boyardee everything. I don't even give a shit, I love it all," Kida told him as she heated the can over the fire. She watched him smile and shake his head after imitating fake vomiting.

"I like spaghetti-o's," a little girl piped in. Kida looked at her and smiled. She was small, maybe around Carl's age. She was a part of the family that had watched over him briefly on the highway.

"Someone with some good taste," Kida complimented her with a grin.

The girl's father glared at her and she immediately clammed up and looked down at the ground. He was large, ugly, and had a look of annoyance across his face. His wife was timid, thin, and had short graying hair. She later learned their names to be Ed and Carol Peltier, their daughter was Sophia. Kida didn't like the attitude and looks Ed was giving his wife and daughter, and she wasn't the only one who noticed the exchange between him and his daughter.

On the other side of Shane, Lori was whispering to Carl and every once in awhile he would nod his head. The poor kid lost his father, but at least he was lucky enough to make it out of King County with his mother and Shane. The Hispanic man they had met earlier was engaged in conversation with Shane about a possible plan for the morning. He insisted that he be called Morales instead of his first name. The entire Morales family was kind, and she even saw Adrienne talking to his wife. She looked more relaxed than she had been after leaving home. Kida knew she was still stuck on the fact Jake was still out there, but she would have to learn to let it go for now.

Charlie was laughing and joking around with T-Dog and Glenn, the black and Asian men who were traveling together and she couldn't help but crack a grin of her own. If she didn't know better, she wouldn't have guessed that Charlie killed his mother and brother just hours before. Finding this group was a much needed distraction, at least for the time being. She knew she'd have to keep a close eye on Ed Peltier, but everyone else seemed good. No one else set off an alarm to her.

As Kida leaned back and enjoyed her spaghetti-o's while listening in on the different conversations, she began to gain a bit of hope. Maybe they would survive this after all.

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**Thank you so much for reading guys! Please review and let me know what you think! Also, please check out the author crowfliesmyass and her new story "Rope" because it is so good and deserves lots of reads.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **

**I decided to post a new chapter early! I know this probably isn't how it went down, but I wanted to create my own way of everyone from the camp meeting up. I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Kida had finished first shift on watch around 2 in the morning when Shane took over. They hadn't really been prepared with camping equipment so everyone pretty much slept in their own cars. Charlie took the entire back seat on Kida's jeep and was snoring softly when she quietly opened the door. Adrienne had the passenger seat pushed all the way back over Charlie's legs and curled up on her side facing the window. There wasn't anywhere left for Kida to sleep without disturbing Charlie, so she opened the trunk of the jeep liberty and lay out on as much of the area she could. Sleep didn't come easily for her, that was for sure.

She awoke with her legs dangling over the opened trunk and the car shaking from the movement inside. The sun was already out and everyone was getting a start to the day. T-Dog was on watch on top of his van and Lori was by the fire making breakfast with Carol for everyone, except Shane who was still asleep and snoring loudly in his jeep. They had made it through a night without any incidents, which was a good sign. Maybe things weren't too bad after all and all of this shit wouldn't last so long.

A sleepy Charlie emerged from the car and stretched is lanky frame out. "That was the worst night of sleep. Ever," he grumbled.

"Couldn't tell from you taking up the entire fucking seat and snoring all night," Kida shot back at him, a playful tone in her voice.

"Shit. I could've moved if you woulda woken me up."

"Oh please. Waking you is like waking the dead… figuratively speaking of course," Adrienne said from behind him. She was right, once Charlie was asleep he was out until he woke up on his own or you literally shake him awake.

"We'll need tents, sleeping bags, blankets, pillows…" Lori began to list off. "If whatever is going on doesn't stop we'll be camping out quite a bit it seems."

"I've never been camping until now," Carl said quietly beside her. He hung his head in sadness and picked at the breakfast his mother had made.

"Well then you're in for a treat. Tonight we'll do camping the right way, alright?" Kida grinned at him to try and cheer him up. A small smile tugged at his lips and she took the opportunity to ruffle his hair. "Once Shane is up we'll make a plan for the day."

Morales took over watch for T-Dog after he had finished breakfast and Shane had awakened. There was a group meeting surrounding T-Dog's van to decide how the day would go and where they would move on to. Luckily, Ed Peletier had a map. Kida's inventory of guns and ammo was taken into account and it was decided that a small group of four would make a trip to a small nearby town with T-Dog's van and Kida's jeep to get camping gear and supplies for the group. Since Shane and Kida had the most extensive knowledge with weapons, it was decided that both would go. T-Dog and Morales knew how to use guns as well and they volunteered to accompany them as well.

"I'm fast. I think I should go. I can use a gun if I have to, but I think it's best to leave at least one person here that knows how to use a gun to protect the group. What if those things come through here?" Glenn suggested.

Kida nodded in agreement. She didn't want to leave defenseless people alone "Charlie knows how to use a gun. He's been shooting for years. He can protect the group. Morales, you up for sticking around and helping keep an eye out? Charlie can take watch awhile."

"Sounds good to me. I'm sure my wife would love it if I stayed behind anyway," he agreed.

"Alright then. T-Dog, Glenn, Shane, and I will go. T-Dog, you and Glenn take your van and follow Shane and I. We need to get a list of what we need," she told all of them.

Glenn left the circle to talk to Lori about making a list. Once she wrote what she, Shane, and Carl needed, the Peletier family was next. Ed decided to take charge and wrote mainly what he wanted down, making Glenn roll his eyes and write a few things down on his own for Carol and Sophia as well as what he and T-Dog needed. The Morales family gave their input and Glenn brought the list back to Kida to get what she, Adrienne, and Charlie needed. The list was already pretty long. They were going to have to make at least two trips.

"Alright guys, what do we need?" Kida asked the James siblings.

"A pillow," Charlie said immediately. Kida chuckled and wrote down camping and sleeping supplies.

"Water. We didn't think to bring any food or water. We got lucky that others did and were willing to share," Adrienne pointed out.

"That's good," Kida agreed. She wrote a few things she thought the group needed as whole before folding up the list and shoving it in the pocket of her uniform. "Listen guys, I'm going to a small town a few miles away with Shane, T-Dog, and Glenn. We'll be gone awhile and I need you guys to hang tight. Charlie, you and Morales are in charge of making sure the camp is safe. That gun I gave you yesterday, keep it on you at all times. Same goes for you Adrienne." They both nodded. "I love you guys. I will be back soon."

The three of them joined in a group hug and Kida pulled the bag of guns from her trunk. She handed Morales a shot gun while Shane gave Lori a small handgun to protect her and Carl and with if something were to happen. Off to the side, Ed Peletier huffed and rolled his eyes. They all agreed to keep the guns away from him, he seemed way too unstable. She took the bag of guns back to her car and distributed a few to the group that would be traveling. She had her own gun holstered on her hip and her favorite rifle in the front seat of her jeep. Shane had his own gun as well and took a rifle that had been from the bag he had brought along. They all agreed it would be best to keep all weapons together. Kida rummaged through the bag and handed T-Dog his own gun and a shot gun to Glenn.

"We all have knives on us. If there is only one, we take them out with a knife. Noise attracts more," Shane reminded them.

* * *

A half an hour later they arrived in the town. It was quiet, small, and looked relatively untouched. They parked their cars toward the entrance of the town and decided to split up into two groups, one for food and other necessities and the other for camping and other supplies. It was ultimately decided that Kida take Glenn for food while Shane and T-Dog went for the larger and heavier supplies. Since Glenn couldn't use a gun well, they stayed close together the entire time.

"Hey, look!" he whispered after a few minutes of walking. He had spotted a convenience store.

"Shit! Good looking out Glenn. They will have food, water, feminine shit, and even gas! I have a gas can in my trunk somewhere," she said with a large grin. The place looked like no one had even touched it.

Kida looked around quickly to make sure everything was all clear and saw only one walker near the store. She snuck up behind it and stabbed it before they approached the store. The automatic doors slid open and they stepped inside. The lights were all still on and it was completely empty. This entire town was too quiet. She stepped quietly behind the counter and peaked in the backroom, where she spotted a door slightly open. She tried to stealthily creep toward it, but Glenn kicked over a glass bottle nearby. A sound stirred from behind the door and one of those monsters made its way toward them.

"Holy shit!" Glenn whispered, pointing his shot gun and the approaching beast.

"STOP!" Kida called before running up to the monster.

It lunged forward and took her down to the ground, it falling with her. She struggled for a moment before she managed to get the upper hand on it. She rolled on top of it, making sure to pin the arms down with her knees. The guttural sounds that emerged from its mouth disgusted her. It snapped and tried to bite her, but she had grabbed her knife just in time to plunge it into the monster's head. She'd learned when it all started that they don't go down without a headshot. When she stood up, Glenn stared at her with amazement. It was clear he hadn't had to kill one of the things yet.

"Holy shit," he said again.

"Holy shit is right. Never shoot unless you have to. Sound draws more, and then we'd be stuck in here," she told him. His expression turned grim at the thought of more of those things around. "It's ok Glenn, it was just one. We're ok."

"What are those things?" he asked, quietly staring at the corpse.

"I don't know," she sighed.

"It doesn't feel right calling them monsters. I mean, I know that's what they are now. Whatever they are… but they were people 24 hour ago. No different than us. Hell, we could be them right now if we hadn't been so lucky," he told her sadly. He was right, she had been thinking the exact same thing when she and Shane took down one of those things in the woods before they set up camp.

"Maybe we should give them a name," Kida suggested. She hated calling them monsters too and Glenn's revelation made her realize that.

"Zombies?"

"Too unoriginal."

"Flesh-eaters?"

"May as well be calling those fuckers monsters."

"What about… Walkers? They are literally dead people walking," he suggested. The name couldn't have been more perfect.

"Walkers. Like the walking dead. Sounds perfect to me," she reassured him. She watched him smile to himself at this new accomplishment and couldn't help but grin herself. "Now let's go get some supplies before Shane and T-Dog find us and we're empty handed. If you find spaghetti-o's or teriyaki jerky, they're mine"

* * *

Kida, Glenn, Shane, and T-Dog loaded up the supplies into the separate cars and celebrated their win. They had gotten even more than they had anticipated and even managed to snag some extra stuff from empty stores nearby. They had plenty of camping equipment for every family loaded up in T-Dog's van, tons of supplies and cooking ware in Kida's jeep, and they managed to snag some gas for the two gas cans they had after filling up their own vehicles.

Their celebration, however, came to a halt when they heard the loud roar of a motorcycle and other vehicles coming toward them. They closed the doors to their cars and stood in front of them as a group, ready to defend themselves and the supplies if needed. The motorcycle stopped a few feet away from them and was followed by a pickup truck, RV, and two other cars. The man on the motorcycle turned the engine off and dismounted it, taking his sunglasses off and approaching them slowly.

"Well, well, well. What do we got here?" he said with a large, toothy grin. His southern accent was thick and he towered at least a foot over her. She saw Shane twitch next to her and slowly move his hand toward his gun.

"Mr. Dixon," a voice called out behind the man riding the motorcycle. The door to the RV opened and an older man stepped out followed by two blonde women. He had a salt and pepper speckled beard and hair hidden under a fisherman hat. A kind smile was spread across his face. "Don't be rude, we found survivors!"

* * *

**Everything is starting to come together! A friendship is beginning to form between Kida and Glenn and some familiar faces are showing up now. Please review and let me know what you think! Reviews will help me out tremendously and motivate me more to pump out new chapters sooner.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Shane stepped forward and met the old man halfway between where everyone was standing.

The other people in the group stepped out of their cars and joined the confrontation between the two groups. Besides the man on the motorcycle and the old man and women from the RV there was guy with a crossbow, a tall and lanky man with a baseball hat, an African American woman with short hair, and a family of five. The family reminded her of Morales's family back at their camp, except they weren't Hispanic. The woman was shorter, maybe even shorter than Kida, and kept her brown hair pulled into a sleek ponytail. The man was average over all, if the world wasn't infested with walkers he would have just been another face in the crowd. Their three children hid behind them and peeked around them to watch what was happening between Shane and the old man.

"How do you think this will go?" T-Dog asked, a hint of nervousness filling his voice.

"The old man seems fine. The dude on the motorcycle… not so much," Glenn added in.

"They got kids with them. Do we bring them back with us?"

"I mean, they have their own vehicles and we left more than enough supplies here so maybe they can stock up and follow us back-"

"We do what Shane decides," Kida said firmly. She trusted his judgment and if these people weren't alright, who was she to argue?

"But what if Shane turns them away for no reason?" Glenn asked her. She could tell by the look on his face he was genuinely concerned for the people. They'd seen firsthand how horrible walkers were.

"He won't. If we can't trust them, he will know. We were police officers, you know. We can spot the bad guys," she reminded them. They both nodded and redirected their attention back to Shane.

After some time, Shane and the old man finished speaking to one another. Shane turned and waved his arms, signaling for Kida, Glenn, and T-Dog to join them. Kida decided to take the lead while the others lagged a bit behind her. The old man was smiling at all of them and motioned for the two blonde women that had exited the RV with them. They quickly stepped forward at either side of the man and wore welcoming smiles.

"Kida, this is-" Shane began, but was immediately cut off by the man.

"Dale. Dale Horvath," he said. He extended his hand and shook all of their's with great enthusiasm. Glenn and T-Dog seemed happy things didn't end up going south.

"This is Glenn, T-Dog, and Kidada," Shane told him.

"It's so great to find people who are, well, you know. Alive," the younger of the blonde women said. "I'm Amy, this is my sister Andrea."

"It's great to meet all of you too. First people we have come across since we tried to get into Atlanta," Glenn explain. Their faces dropped at his words.

"Tried? You mean it isn't open?" Amy asked in a panicked tone. Her sister stepped forward and placed an arm around her in an attempt to comfort her.

"We've been trying to make it there. The broadcasts said that is where we needed to go for shelter. Something about a refugee center," the older sister explained.

"It's not safe. The place is overrun with those damn things and we saw military taking out people on the highway. We got our asses out of there as quick as we could," Shane told them. Amy began to cry and the hard truth began to hit her.

"Is it just the four of you?" the man on the motorcycle, who had been listening in the entire time, jumped in and asked.

"No. We have more."

"How many more?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well you guys look like you ransacked what's left of these places here. Wondering if ya'll got a little greedy and didn't leave any here for us."

"There is more than enough left. We only took what we needed," T-Dog told him, trying to keep the man from getting too out of hand.

"I'll be the judge of that-"

"Merle, please. If these people say they left things behind, then they left things behind. Let's not start an altercation over accusations," Dale said calmly.

"Whatever. Let's get started cleaning these places out," Merle said, pushing past T-Dog. He made eye contact with Kida and his large, toothy grin reappeared. "Wanna give me a hand sugar tits? I'm sure ol' Merle could use a gal like you."

"No chance in hell. You back off now," Shane warned.

"How 'bout you let the girl speak for herself." He leaned in closer to Kida and smirked.

"You heard him. No chance in hell," she told him.

"Aww come on sugar tits. I'll make it worth your-" he was cut off by Kida's fist colliding with his jaw.

"I have a name, asshole."

"HEY!" a voice boomed. The man with the crossbow that had been standing quietly next to the pick-up truck was now making his way quickly toward Kida, his weapon raised. "What the HELL are you doing?"

Shane drew his gun and placed it on the side of the man's head, a look of fire filling his eyes. "You better put that crossbow down man," he ordered.

"The hell I will! Some bitch attacks my brother and you expect me to what, sit by and twiddle my thumbs?" the man said sarcastically. His crossbow was still pointed at Kida.

"Daryl, stop. Merle was being very rude and offensive. Kidada put him in his place," Andrea told him. Kida looked to her and gave her a nod as thanks.

"Is that so _Kidada_? What the fuck kind of name is that anyway?" Daryl angrily spat.

"You tell her little brother," Merle chuckled.

"Your brother's name is Merle and you're really standing here judging _my_ name? I wouldn't even name my dog Merle," she replied sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and heard a small chuckle escape Glenn's mouth. She looked back toward Daryl, whose crossbow was still raised, and pushed it down herself. "You're wasting time putting that thing in my face. Get what you came for and get out before walkers come through here."

Daryl put his crossbow down by his side and Shane lowered his gun. He gave one last glare at Kida and Shane before returning to the others and preparing to get supplies. Merle looked Kida up and down and chuckled as he made his way into the convenience store that she and Glenn had searched and killed a walker in. He reminded her of the drunks that she and Jake would bust every Saturday, constantly hitting on her and calling her inappropriate names. Jake always made fun of her after every run-in with them and called her every name they have managed to come up with. Merle seemed like the sober version of them, if he was even sober at all. He made her skin crawl.

"You call them walkers?" Amy asked once everyone spread out to cover more ground. Andrea had asked her to stay at the RV with Dale.

"Yeah, Glenn over here came up with it," Kida said, giving Glenn a good slap on the shoulder. She smiled as a proud grin spread over his face. "We didn't want to call them monsters anymore."

"It's a good name. Fitting. We've been on the road for two days and every time we saw one, they were just… walking. Or eating. They're like zombies."

"See that's what I said! But Kida said it was too unoriginal," Glenn chimed in, mocking Kida's voice. Both of the girls laughed at his humorous remark.

"Alright guys, we're ready to go," Shane called from Kida's jeep liberty. Kida turned back to Amy and Dale and said her goodbyes with Glenn before returning to the cars.

"This doesn't feel right," Glenn whispered to her. "They should be coming with us."

* * *

Everyone was thrilled at how much the four of them were able to find on their run. It was almost dinner time and Lori and Carol were by the fire Morales started and began going to work on preparing food. With the haul they brought back, it was hard for everyone to decide what to have, they actually had options. They'd really gotten lucky they'd found a small town that hadn't been raided yet.

The only ones who weren't joining in on the celebration were Kida and Glenn. As soon as they had gotten back and unloaded the supplies, Glenn set up his own tent and didn't come out until dinner was ready. Kida decided to relieve Charlie of watch duty once they got T-Dog's van back into place and settled down with a bag of teriyaki beef jerky that Glenn had snagged her. She skipped the dinner and insisted that her portions be given to the kids; she had more than enough jerky. Glenn, who still looked pretty down made his way over to T-Dog's van and climbed up top to sit with her.

"What's on your mind? You've looked like someone kicked your puppy all night ever since we got back from our run."

"I just…" he started. He let out a big sigh and looked up the sky. "We shouldn't have just left. We have more than enough room around here. It just feels wrong leaving people who are alive behind."

"They had a group of their own. They weren't just alone. They were capable of taking care of themselves," Kida told them. She was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince him. She had mixed feelings about not bringing them back with them.

"You can't really think that."

"Glenn, you saw how that guy Merle was. We couldn't have brought him back here, not with all the women and kids."

"If he was in a larger group with people constantly watching him, I don't think he'd be a problem."

"His brother wasn't exactly sane either." She wrinkled her nose at the thought of Merle and Daryl earlier that day. They were rude and aggressive rednecks, people the group didn't need around.

"Kida, I know you're not heartless. You heard Amy talk about what they'd seen. And after what happened back in town, you can't just not feel bad for leaving people behind. Not after seeing what those things can do." He stared at her, as if demanding her to tell him how she really felt about it. She wasn't sure what to do, in all honesty.

"We can't change it now," she told him quietly.

"We can. We can try to find them."

"Glenn, they're long gone by now. Shane said after tonight we are going to try and find a better place to go. Up in the hills, maybe. Harder for walkers to get to. It's a miracle we have only run into two of them so far."

Glenn sighed and took his hat off. He ran his fingers through his hair and sat silently for a moment before putting it back on. He stood up and slid down the windshield onto the hood of the van. He turned and took one more look at her, he knew she felt just as bad as he did. She just wouldn't admit it. As a cop, she had learned not to let her emotions or thoughts about certain situations interfere with what was right.

Leaving Dale's group behind to do their own thing was the right thing to do. Right?

* * *

**First interaction between Daryl and Kida! Didn't go so well, but things will get better later on. PLEASE review and let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**

****Thank you so much for the reviews so far! They are helpful and I would like your feedback, even if it is negative. I want to know if you like how things are going or if you want them to change.****

**This chapter is a little longer. I wanted to write this before the group went to the camp seen in the first season to show Kida dealing with her emotions and handling a very bad situation. **

* * *

**Chapter 5**

A week and a half had gone by since meeting Dale's group. Shane had said we'd be leaving the day after and still, we were in the same spot. Walkers were beginning to infiltrate the outskirts of camp and every person that was taking watch was killing at least one per shift. It wasn't safe anymore, they were too close to Atlanta and the walkers were spreading out. It was time to leave but the fear of change hit people almost harder than the fear of walkers.

Carol had given a map that Ed had in the glove box of their car to Shane and Kida. They worked on mapping out a route to get them into the hills far enough away from Atlanta that the walkers wouldn't roam into camp, but close enough to make runs when necessary. Glenn and Charlie had taken Kida's car back to the highway to see how bad it had gotten a few days earlier and they came back mortified. The streets were completely overrun with walkers and there was no sign of life at all. No one had attempted to make a run into the city yet, but Glenn said he could manage if he went alone or with a small group. The idea terrified everyone.

Adrienne was beginning to talk more. She was finally accepting the fact she and Jake were separated and she most likely wasn't going to see him again anytime soon, if at all. Once the walkers started making their way into camp more frequently, everyone decided it'd be best to buddy up in the tents at night instead of everyone having their own. It was safer and they weren't as spread out. Adrienne and Kida of course chose to be together and Charlie chose to share a tent with Glenn and T-Dog right next to his sister and Kida's. Adrienne was more talkative at night, Kida began to notice. Maybe it was the fear of what could happen in the night or she was just ready to get everything off her chest. She was helping out around camp more with Lori and Carol, she spent time playing with the kids more often, and she just seemed happier when they weren't all fearing for their lives. Knowing she was better was a weight lifted off of Kida's shoulders. She had rescued her best friend and her little brother because she loved them. When her parents died she vowed to protect the James family at all costs. They were all she really had left besides an aunt and uncle in California with a couple of her cousins.

Charlie was taking on big role at the camp. He was taking watch a lot, he'd gone on a couple runs with Glenn and T-Dog, and he'd even killed two walkers on his own. He was growing up so much from what he was in such a short amount of time and Kida didn't know what to think of it. Just a few years ago he was starting high school as a lanky and nerdy little guy. Now he was a man and taking on a protector role in the group. She was proud, but she was scared of losing him. She was scared of losing him and Adrienne both. Charlie was becoming fit for this world, but Adrienne was still naïve and physically weak. She still didn't know how to shoot a gun correctly and insisted she didn't need to know yet. She was scared, Kida understood. But, the scared and the weak got taken the quickest in this world.

Kida tied her hair up into a ponytail and changed into a black tank top and her army green cargo pants. She laced up her combat boots that she used as part of her police uniform and strapped her gun holster around her waist. The heat was beginning to reach 90 degrees around noon and they were very unprotected from the sun. Carl already had a horrible sunburn from the day before and anyone who took watch was scorching hot within the first twenty minutes. Lori had suggest Glenn and Charlie making a run into the small town we had run to the day after setting up camp to try to find some hats and sunscreen for everyone, as well as any supplies that would be useful for the road. Kida decided to take Charlie's spot since she hadn't gone on a run since that day and she knew that she and Glenn could manage. Charlie was reluctant to stay behind, but eventually agreed.

* * *

After a half an hour, Kida pulled up to the entrance of the town with Glenn in tow. They didn't know how much stuff would be left behind since Dale's group had also gone through here, but it was worth a try. Kida checked her gun on her hip to make sure it was fully loaded and strapped her favorite rifle to her back. Glenn grabbed his shot gun out of the back and kept his pocket knife in his front pocket just in case. They decided to check the convenience store they had found on the first day and had no luck, Dale's group must have cleaned it out or another group came through and took care of. They would have to venture farther into the town.

After taking down a few lone walkers, they found a drug store in what they would have guessed to be the middle of the town. A quick peek inside showed a group of walkers roaming around aimlessly, but there were supplies inside. If it wasn't looted already, there would be medical supplies inside too. They didn't have much, if any back at camp and it was only a matter of time before someone come down with something.

"I count eight," Glenn whispered from next to her. They were crouching down under the front window to keep the walkers inside from spotting them.

"That is too many too take on at one time," Kida told him. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. This was their shot. All they needed were some supplies and they could hit the road and head for the hills like they had all planned.

"What if we can distract them? Lead a few out at time."

"It's risky. If we attract the whole group, we're fucked."

"Kida, this is our best option," he told her. He peeked up one more time before turning back to her. "Some made their way to the back. There are three upfront near the doors. You're a better fighter than me. I can open the door and get them to come out one at a time. You take them down and we're home free."

"Glenn-"

"We can do this Kida," he reassured her. She stared at him a few moments before nodding in agreement. The group needed supplies. Adrienne and Charlie needed supplies.

He walked quickly toward the door and stood by until Kida got into position. She walked farther out, near a car parked on the opposite side of the street. She shut her eyes and let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She hadn't taken on this many at a time. She opened her eyes and looked directly at Glenn. He gave her a reassuring smile and a nod, letting her know that anytime she was ready, he would open the door. It was now or never. She nodded and pulled her knife from her pocket.

The first one was a piece of cake. It stumbled out of the door toward her and she slammed her knife into its skull. She pulled the knife out, cleaned it off on the walker's jacket and nodded at Glenn for another. He opened the door and let the second one out. It was a fairly large man letting out loud, guttural moans as it hobbled toward her. She kicked his knee and sent him straight down to the ground. As he tried to take a bite out of her leg, she kicked him in the head-hard. She jammed the knife into his skull and pulled it out quickly, wiping it off once again. Glenn silently cheered for her and opened the door for another, but two pushed their way out.

"Glenn!"

"I'm sorry I didn't see the other one!" he shut the door quickly and pulled his own knife out of his pocket before he ran up behind a smaller female walker and shoved it into her skull.

Kida took out the fourth walker and looked back at the drug store. Their commotion outside had drawn the other four left in the store and they were pounding their hands against the glass windows. They had spotted fresh meat outside and they were itching to get out and feast. Glenn ran back quickly to the door, but it was being pushed open by the walkers. All four were spilling out into the street. Glenn gave Kida a terrified look before turning back to the walkers. One made her way to Glenn, but the other three were coming straight for Kida. She pushed the first one away and made a swipe at another. She managed to take one down, but the other two were too close to her and she could only kill one at a time. She quickly shoved her knife into the head of the one to her right and was then was immediately taken down by the other one. He fought against her attempt to push him off and inched his head closer and closer to hers. She closed her eyes and a tear slid down her cheek. He had her pinned; this is how she was going to die.

Before the walker could bite her, he went limp and was being pulled off of her. She opened her eyes and saw Glenn panting and holding his hand out to her to help her up. She took it and once she was up, she was embracing Glenn. She was shaking and a small sob escaped her throat. She had just almost died. She had convinced herself that she was fit for this world and could handle herself, but anything could go wrong at any time. Glenn stood there, unsure of how to react, and slowly wrapped his arms around her in a hug as she cried. She had been a stone wall since the group formed. He always saw how much she cared about Adrienne and Charlie, and occasionally she would crack a joke, but she was strong and fearless. Or so she had seemed. The girl he was comforting wasn't quite what he thought she was. This girl was finally showing her human side.

"We just took down eight walkers. Three more before this. We did great Kida. You did great," he told her.

She let out a sigh and pulled away, wiping her eyes quickly. "Let's get in there, get what we need, and get out fast." There was no argument from Glenn's side at all as they ran into the store.

Kida headed straight for the pharmacy and was met with a walker on the other side of the counter. Without thinking, she drew her gun and shot it. Glenn came running and his eyes widened at the sight. She was panting and sweating, still shaken up at what had just happened outside. She looked at Glenn and nodded to let him know she was alright and she hopped over the counter, shoveling what she could into her bag. Once she was done she found Glenn stuffing toiletries and sunscreen into his own bag.

"We need to go. That shot is sure to bring more," Kida told him. He nodded and zipped his bag.

On the way out they grabbed food and bottles of water and threw them into the extra bag they had brought before making their way back to the front. Glenn made it to the door, but Kida stopped when she saw a small section with books and magazines. She grabbed a few and stuffed them into her bag, sure that everyone at the camp would like something to keep them entertained.

"Kida! We have to go. Now," Glenn called urgently. She ran to the front and gasped at the sight. A large group was coming toward them.

They took off as fast as they could toward the car, checking every few seconds behind them. Walkers from all over the town were starting to emerge and Kida took out any that got too close. When they finally reached the car they hopped inside, tossed the bags in the back, and they were out of there as quickly as the car could go. They had made it out of there alive and had gotten what had come for. But, it was too close of a call. Once the excitement had died down, Glenn decided to strike up a conversation.

"So, back there…"

"What about it?" Kida spat at him. She didn't mean to come off as angry, but she was still shaken up.

"I don't mean to… well, I mean- I just-"

"Don't tell anyone," she told him. She didn't want what happened back there to be known by anyone at the camp. Adrienne and Charlie would worry and Shane wouldn't think she was strong enough to do anything again.

"I won't," he promised her. "I just wanted to tell you its ok."

"What about that was ok Glenn? I just almost DIED if you didn't notice."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what the hell are you talking about?"

"It's ok to be scared. You've been working so hard around camp and trying to shield yourself from too much contact with everyone besides Adrienne and Charlie. You act like a stone wall. It's ok to be scared. We all are. You're not alone."

Kida reached over the center console and squeezed Glenn's hand for a brief moment before returning it to the wheel. The rest of the ride back to camp was silent as Glenn's words ran through her head. She had to admit, she was trying not to get too attached to everyone at the camp and she kept everyone at arm's length. She had never expected something like this to happen- for the dead to start walking around and eating others. But there was something she hadn't expected even more that was happening. She had made a new friend in this world.

Glenn had saved her life and she learned in that moment that in this world, you needed others to survive.

* * *

**Kida is learning that the group needs to stick together and she had found a new friend in Glenn, more-so than before. He will become her confidant in later chapters and they will have a very strong friendship. Next chapter, they head for the hills and find some familiar faces! Please review!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry it took way longer to update than I had hoped. I was busy with my birthday last Friday and I spent the weekend at home with my family and friends and this week I have been swamped with homework. Since I took too long, you guys get this chapter and another one either later tonight or tomorrow! Possibly a third if I can fit it in.**

**Happy reading!**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Kida swallowed the lump in her throat as Shane asked about the trip into town. Glenn glanced nervously at Kida and she immediately froze. He took that moment to step up and tell him about the walkers they killed and all the supplies they had gotten. As far as Shane and the group would know, nothing had happened to them and they were fine. He came through for her, just like he had promised. Unfortunately, Shane wasn't buying the whole story. When Glenn took half of the supplies to load into T-Dog's van for the big move, Shane cornered Kida while she was adjusting what was left in her own car.

"What happened out there?" he asked, his voice low to avoid alerting anyone else.

"What do you mean?" She avoided meeting his gaze in fear of slipping up and letting him know what happened back in the town. She continued to move bags around in the back to make room for her, Adrienne, and Charlie's camping gear.

"You looked a little spooked. Did Glenn leave something out about your little trip?"

"No."

"You sure? I've never seen you just go blank like that when you got out of the car."

"I'm fine Shane. Just haven't been around that many at once before. We handled it," she told him. She sighed in frustration as she pulled bags from the trunk and walked around the side to place them in the back seat.

"Did something happen back there? Did one of those things get to you-"

"Shane, listen to me," she slammed the door of her jeep liberty shut and stood face to face with him. "Nothing happened. We got a little freaked when there were more in the store than anticipated, but we handled it. Glenn over there," she pointed toward Glenn and T-Dog loading up supplies with Morales, Shane turned his attention that way and focused back on her almost immediately. "He came through and he helped me get out of there alive. Nothing happened, no one slipped up. We went, we killed, we raided, we came back in one piece. That's all anyone needs to know."

Shane, obviously dissatisfied with her answer, turned and went back to Lori and Carl. He began to help them pack up what they could in his jeep and handed off the rest to T-Dog to put in his van. The Peletier family was packed and ready to go, as was the Morales family. Adrienne and Charlie shoved all of their belonging in the car and all that didn't fit was Kida's own camping gear. She shut the trunk and hauled it over to Glenn and T-Dog hoping there was still some room.

"What's up Kida?" Glenn asked, eyeing Shane across the field.

"Camping stuff won't fit in my damn car. Too much other shit." She placed the gear on the ground by the side of the van and moved her gaze to match Glenn's. Her eyes fell on Shane laughing with Carl.

"What did he want?" Glenn asked quietly.

"Asked if you were telling him the truth."

"And?"

"What do you think?"

"Did he buy it?"

Kida let out a sighed and twirled the tip of her ponytail in her right hand. He didn't buy it, she knew that. Her biggest fear about it was him not letting her do anything important anymore for the group. If she wasn't allowed to help out, she couldn't make sure Adrienne and Charlie had what they needed. She couldn't keep them completely safe. She turned her head to look at Glenn and dropped her ponytail. "No."

He nodded and picked up her camping gear and threw in the already jam packed van. On his way back around, he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "Let's go see what he has planned for us so we can get out of here. The sooner the better."

* * *

"Where exactly are we going?" Charlie asked, breaking Kida out of her trance.

"Shane said to head for the hills. We need to get pretty far in, away from the walkers. Hopefully it's secluded enough to be safe for everyone," she told him. She readjusted in the driver's seat and peaked at Adrienne in the rear-view mirror. She was passed out in the backseat, her head resting on the pile of her stuff.

"Think it will work?"

"It has to."

She had to admit, Shane's plan was a good one. The walkers, from what she had noticed, were attracted mainly to sound. If they were to get high enough into the hills, the walkers wouldn't hear them. Any that managed to wander anywhere close to their camp could be picked off easily and quietly to avoid attracting others. The only problem that could possibly be posed is if others had the same idea and decided the land was now theirs to inhabit. Surely they could talk some sense into most people, but Kida knew from personal experience in the law enforcement field that when people believe something is theirs strongly enough they won't let anything happen to it.

"Maybe that group you talked about will be there," Charlie suggested.

She hadn't thought about that. In fact, she hadn't really thought about Dale's group in awhile. The fact that they didn't bring them back still ate away at her conscience, as well as Glenn's. Even T-Dog brought it up a few days later after a run, agreeing they should have merged groups. Their group was about the same size as this group she was currently taking a place in. The only difference was instead of one hostile Ed Peletier, they had two hostile Dixon brothers. Their attitudes with Shane's ego and Ed's asshole nature would be sure to be a disaster. Even T-Dog had a hard time dealing with Ed on most days and he was always incredibly calm and kind.

Shane's jeep stopped at the beginning of a road leading around the hills. He stepped out and motioned for Kida to join him. She took one last glance at Adrienne asleep in the back seat before giving Charlie a calm smile and exiting the car. She holstered her gun on her hip and closed the distance between herself and Shane. In the few seconds she had, she tried to read his mood to figure out what he was going to say before he actually said it. If anything, he seemed determined. At this point, they all were. He pulled her away from the cars and checked to see if anyone was listening. Glenn opened the passenger door to T-Dog's van, but Shane held up an hand to stop him from coming over.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No we uh, just need to figure out how to do this," he told her. His gaze grew fierce and stern.

"I thought we all had the same plan back at camp. Are you changing the plan?" She glanced nervously back at her jeep liberty where she could make out Charlie leaning forward in the passenger seat to watch the interaction taking place.

"No, I mean for us. Me, you, Lori, Carl… If things go south when we get there."

"What do you mean go south? Are you leading us into something dangerous?" She couldn't keep herself from letting her eyes dart back and forth between the James siblings in her car and Shane in front of her.

"You already know it can be. If people are already there… well, you know how people can get," he told her. He was right, it was something that lingered in the back of her mind from the minute he had suggested going into the hills.

"If people are there, we find somewhere else," she told him.

"We do. They don't," he said gesturing toward the rest of the group. Kida's eyes widened and she snapped her head back to look at him.

"You can't be serious Shane. We can't leave these people behind."

"I have to keep Lori and Carl safe. I need to keep you safe too. I know Adrienne and Charlie are a package deal with you so of course-"

"What about Glenn? T-Dog? Carol, Sophia, Morales, his children? We are a group now Shane. We don't leave anyone behind. It is our job to protect people," she told him. She couldn't believe what was coming out of his mouth.

"WAS our job. If things go south, you follow me no matter what. If I can get some of the others out, you know I will but-"

"You just said only us-"

"Kida, listen to me will you? I tell you what, if things go south, stay close to me. We will make it out of there and try to get as many people as we can out. You know how people get if they feel their belongings are threatened and in a situation like this is can be even more dangerous than normal."

Kida looked around at everyone in their cars patiently waiting to proceed into the hills. She couldn't imagine just leaving any of them behind, not even Ed. As much as she despised the bastard she'd never leave him to die. She began to remember a case she had back in King County where a man's girlfriend had broken up with him and kicked him out of their apartment. She had a new boyfriend living with her and the man came back. He killed the new boyfriend and tried to reason with the girl to take him back. When she refused, he killed her. He told her, Jake, Shane, and Rick at the crime scene if he couldn't have her and everything they owned, she wouldn't either.

"Obsession is a dangerous thing," she mumbled.

"Exactly. Now, I'm hoping it doesn't go that way but if it does…"

"Follow your lead."

Without another word, she turned and made her way back to her car. Once Shane proceeded up the road, she and everyone else followed. His words danced around in her head during the drive. She understood him wanting to protect Lori and Carl at all costs, she felt the same way about protecting Adrienne and Charlie. They were all she had left in this world. She just couldn't imagine having to leave anyone behind when they got there. She owed her life to Glenn and she was beginning to feel some sort of attachment to everyone, with the small exception of Ed. She had been keeping a distance from everyone as much as possible but she felt the need to protect all of them from harm. That feeling was an important one, it was why she became a cop in the first place.

A small frown formed on her lips as she remembered the words Rick had told her after her third case, a suicide. The woman shot herself in the head right in front of her and there was nothing she could have done to stop it. She thought she wasn't cut out for the job and she had made the wrong choice. That incident was too emotionally draining for her but it was the words he told her after that gave her a new perspective on her career.

"You can't always save everyone."

* * *

Shane's jeep stopped a mile away from where they originally planned to go. Everyone exited their vehicles and armed themselves in case something bad was going happen or they ran into any stray walkers. They had gotten lucky and hadn't seen any since a few hours before on the main roads. Even then, there weren't many. It was decided that Lori, Carl, Carol, Sophia, Morales's wife Miranda and their children, Charlie, and Adrienne would stay behind with the vehicles. Kida, Shane, Glenn, T-Dog, Morales, and Ed would be going to scout out an area to set up camp.

"You're strong and you're smart," Kida told Charlie, handing him her favorite rifle. "Don't shoot unless you have to. You don't leave this group unprotected, no matter what. Lori has a gun, you have this, Miranda has one of Morales's guns. Stick together and protect each other."

"Of course. What if things don't go the way you planned? What if they attack?" he asked. A sad expression took over his features and he stared at the ground between them.

"They attack us, we attack them right back. If you hear gunshots, screams, anything… wait five minutes and leave. No more than that. If we don't come back after two hours, we probably aren't coming back. So you leave. You have everyone get in their cars and go," she told him. She pulled her car keys out of her pocket and handed them over to Charlie.

"Kida I can't just leave you behind."

"Yes you can and you will. Have Adrienne take my car, you take T-Dog's van if anything goes wrong. The keys are in the center console. Leave nothing behind and go."

"We won't make it without you and Shane," he said quietly. Kida stepped forward and embraced him.

"You will. Miranda knows how to use a gun. Lori is ok but she's not good. You get out of here and you teach all of them how to use a gun and defend themselves. Especially Adrienne."

"She won't touch the guns Kida. She is pretty much useless when it comes to walkers."

She pulled away from him and kissed his forehead, considering his words. Adrienne was terrified of guns and refused to use them even with everyone telling her she needed to. If she wouldn't learn how to use one and how to take care of herself, Charlie was right. They wouldn't make it without her and Shane. She holstered her guns and shoved her knife into a sheath attached to her calf, turning to once more to Charlie as she zipped up her jacket. "You make her."

Kida joined the men of the group who were waiting for her before setting out. Ed, of course, was not happy she was taking so long or the fact he even had to go with them. Glenn and T-Dog fought with Shane over the choice but Shane insisted he come along and be kept away from his family after the fight between he and Carol the night before. Everyone knew he hurt Carol, that he was abusive. They just couldn't prove it. When they could, Kida vowed she'd be the one to put him in his place. Domestic calls when she was on the job were the worst and the ones she hated the most. The thought of a man attacking a woman or children who couldn't defend themselves made her sick beyond words.

"Just like a woman," Ed mumbled under his breath when she joined them.

"Excuse me?" Kida retorted in annoyance.

"Ain't got nothin' to say to you," he told her.

"Funny, I heard you mumbling to yourself," Glenn added in.

"Definitely wasn't about you. Ain't got nothin' nice to say about chinks," Ed said with a disgusting smirk. That was enough to set Kida off.

"FUCK YOU, YOU RACIST PIECE OF SHIT!" she shouted. She lunged at Ed and Shane and Morales were quick enough to grab her.

"KIDA! STOP!" Shane yelled in her ear.

She composed herself and readjusted her jacket. She shot a filthy glare at Ed and was the first to head in the direction of the top of the hills. Glenn and T-Dog followed closely behind her while Shane and Morales took the rear to keep an eye on Ed. Glenn walked in tandem next to her and nodded a thanks for defending him. It was honestly the least she could do for someone who had saved her life earlier that day.

After twenty minutes of walking they knew they had to be close. They walked slower and were careful not to make too much noise in case walkers or other survivors were nearby. Kida turned her head to whisper to T-Dog but was caught off guard by an arrow whizzing past her head and hitting the tree next to her. Horrified, she drew her gun and faced the direct the arrow came from. Everyone else stopped and drew their own weapons as footsteps became louder and louder. It was too dark to take any chances.

"The fuck?" a voice rang out in the dark. A figure stepped forward and a gasp came from Glenn and T-Dog.

"What do you mean 'the fuck' you almost hit me you jackass," Kida called out to him. The moment she finished her words she saw who it was and lowered her gun.

"I was aiming for the squirrel. You just got a little too close," he said, clearly annoyed with her.

"Daryl Dixon?" Glenn said in amazement.

"Short Round and chick cop. I see you found us again," Daryl replied unamused.

"Us? You all still a group?" Shane asked.

"We ain't got room for strangers," a voice called from where Daryl had emerged.

"We ain't strangers to Daryl here," Shane called back. None other than Merle Dixon appeared.

"You're the group from that town. Sugar tits here wasn't so nice to ol' Merle. Don't want none of that back at our place. Not if she can't play nice," he mused with his large, toothy grin.

"I'm sure we can all work something out," Shane told him, glancing at Kida out of the corner of his eye.

Merle stepped forward and wrapped his heavy arm around Kida's shoulders. She rolled her eyes in disgust and pushed it off while Daryl stepped around her to retrieve his arrow and now-dead squirrel. Merle chuckled at Kida's obvious state of disgust with him and nudged her forward. "Come on sugar tits. Right this way."

This was either everything going south like Shane had predicted or salvation had come to them in the form of the hostile, redneck Dixon brothers.

* * *

**Shane suggested leaving everyone else behind, Ed sucks, and they found Daryl and Merle. Next chapter they all face Dale and the rest of the group.**

**Please review and let me know what you think of the story, the characters, etc. so I can improve. If I don't think people are reading the story or liking it I will probably not continue.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:**

**I am so sorry it took so long to update, especially after promising a new chapter so soon after the last one. Things go crazy with school and I had some issue to attend to. I have all the chapters laid out to the end of season two and I'm trying to spread things out as much as possible to keep it going during the time we all have to wait for season 5. Since I'm home for the summer and only working part-time, I will be sure to update more and on a more regular schedule.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The Dixon brothers led Kida, Shane, Glenn, T-Dog, Morales, and Ed through the rest of the woods to meet up with their camp. Glenn and T-Dog stayed close to Kida, one at each side, while Shane and Morales followed closely behind. Ed was lagging behind and making the occasional complaint about bugs and the heat. Every time he opened his mouth Shane took it upon himself to hit him in the knee with the butt of his rifle, which added a little bit of humor in this horrible and tense situation. Leave it to Ed to be obnoxious and ungrateful when people come to help them. None of them were all too thrilled about the Dixon brothers being present, but no one else complained.

After a while, everyone began to see the flickers of light coming from what looked, and smelled, like a campfire. Daryl turned his flashlight toward Kida, Glenn, and T-Dog before nodding his head toward the trees, urging them forward. The group eyed each other, hesitant to go toward the campfire. It was Kida who decided to step forward first. She emerged from the trees, Shane following closely behind her, and was greeted with silent stares from the smaller group sitting around the fire. She immediately recognized Dale and few others from their first meeting and felt relieved. They all made it. Shane tugged gently on her arm to stop her from going any further and stepped up in front of her. Typical Shane always trying to play the alpha male role.

Daryl and Merle went to the others and made some food for themselves while Dale's bright and smiling face greeted them. Andrea and Amy, the sisters they had met that day in town, followed Dale to where Shane, Kida, Glenn, T-Dog, Ed, and Morales were standing. A sense of relief filled everyone, except Ed of course, that both groups had made it safe and sound thus far. Dale shook Shane's hand and Amy greeted Kida and Glenn with hugs, clearly remembering their little conversation from over a week ago.

"I'm glad to see you all made it out of there," Glenn told Dale, Amy, and Andrea. Andrea gave him a soft smile and placed her hand on his shoulder briefly.

"As are we, son. We had no idea there were others out here. Just arrived three days ago and set up camp. Haven't seen a walker since," Dale told them. Glenn grinned at Kida, excited his word was catching on.

"Ain't none of those things here?" Ed asked from behind Shane and Morales.

"Not that we have seen. Have you had any trouble with them?" Andrea asked, a worried tone taking over her voice.

"We haven't been staying here. Just got up here no more than an hour ago," Kida told them. Shane glanced at her and tightened his grip on his gun, a move that didn't go unnoticed.

"It's a miracle we all found each other again. Where is the rest of your group?" Dale asked.

"Out in the woods, waiting for us to come back. Been out scouting the area for safe land," Shane told him. His words were greeted with an excited squeal from Amy.

"Isn't this perfect? We have plenty of room here and we can all stick together. I'd be nice to have new people," she said excitedly. Dale smiled and placed his hand on Amy's shoulder.

"We do have plenty of room. With more of us together, the safer we are," he told Shane. He looked to his side at Kida, who gave a quick and approving nod. Morales, Glenn, and T-Dog showed their approval with nods as well. Ed grunted at Dale's suggestion, but it went unnoticed.

"We don't wanna put you guys out-" Shane started. Dale quickly interrupted.

"Oh don't be absurd, we'd be glad to have you all."

"We will pull our weight around here," Kida chimed in. Dale smiled at her and nodded.

"We need to go back and get the rest of our people. We have a lot of supplies and a couple cars. There room for those?" Shane asked.

"Of course. Jim will show you where to park them and tell you how to get them here… JIM! We need your assistance," Dale called out. A man, fairly tall and lanky, appeared at his side.

Shane and Morales had a quick discussion with Jim on how to get to their part of the hills and where all cars need to be parked. It was decided that T-Dog, Glenn, and Kida would stay behind with Dale and the rest of his group and get to know the people there. The three of them were excited to have found the group they had been worrying about for so long and to find them somewhere safe. They were so kind and inviting, with the small exception of the Dixon brothers, and it filled them with hope. They could have their own little community. There was a small lake nearby, they had an RV where someone took watch at all times, they had more than enough room for tents, and they were safe. Kida had promised herself she'd keep Adrienne and Charlie safe at all costs and this was their chance to survive.

After an hour or so, Shane, Morales, and Ed returned with the rest of the group. Everyone, with the help of Dale, Andrea, Amy, Jim, and a couple others, unloaded their camping gear, food supply, and other supplies. It was decided that the two groups would merge everything together, including food and other supplies. What was Dale's group's was now theirs and what was theirs was now Dale's group's. A few people weren't too happy about it, but to others it was a blessing. Kida had spent so much time making sure that everyone had all of their things set up and were alright that's he had forgotten her own stuff. Luckily Charlie and Glenn put up her tent between Adrienne and Charlie's tents and all of her stuff was there inside.

Once all of the commotion had died down, it was decided Dale would take first watch of the night and Shane would relieve him in the middle of the night. Everyone else, clearly exhausted from the day's events, turned in for the night. Everyone from Kida's group fell asleep that night in their own tents. There was no need to stuff multiple people in a tent anymore, they were safe.

* * *

Everyone was awake bright and early the next day. Kida emerged from her tent the same time Charlie did and they exchanged a quick grin. They made it through the night with no issues. The entire group met to discuss the day's events and it was decided that Lori, Carol, and Miranda, would help Andrea, Amy, and Jacqui with laundry and other cleaning. Jacqui introduced herself to everyone, having kept to herself the night before, before showing everyone where to go and what to do. Daryl and Merle were to hunt for food while Morales and T-Dog would fish. Shane, having been up all night, decided he needed to get a few hours of sleep before he could be any help. Adrienne volunteered to teach the kids instead of their mother's having to worry about it and Charlie took over watch duty. Everyone else was free to go where they wanted or thought they could help. While Jim headed over to work on the RV, Dale informed Kida and Glenn that he needed them to go on a quick run to a small town nearby.

To Kida's surprise, it was Shane who suggested they would be the best pairing to go into town. After the last incident and not telling him what really happened, she didn't think he'd allow her to go on runs again. At least, not this soon. She and Glenn packed up what they needed and grabbed their weapons before loading Kida's jeep liberty and getting a map from Dale. The town wasn't too far away, but it was close enough to some other areas that had the potential to be overrun and dangerous by now. They both pushed that thought to the back of their mind and set out to find the town with the list Dale had given them. Merle had asked them repeatedly to bring back some whiskey and cigarettes, but they had both shrugged that off.

The ride was short and filled mainly with Glenn talking about how excited he was to how found Dale and everyone else. He claimed he had gotten the best night of sleep he's had since the world went to shit and Kida could help but agree. For once since their group first formed, they didn't have to sleep with one eye open and wait for one of the walkers to stumble upon them. Their biggest worry now was which Dixon brother was going to be the most offensive or if Ed was going to lash out on his wife, daughter, or anyone else. Though neither situation was particularly enjoyable, they were manageable. It was clear no one really liked Ed Peletier or the Dixons, but they weren't too hard to deal with.

When arriving in the town, Kida and Glenn were greeted by two walkers. They took them out silently with their knives and proceeded down the main street until they found a small market place. The doors were chained shut and they were forced to find another way in. After searching in circles around the place, Glenn had the idea to use the ladder on the next building to check if the market had a way to get in from the ceiling. Much to Kida's dismay, it did. They were going to have to jump from building to building. She wasn't afraid of much, but heights was one thing that terrified her. Maybe not so much the fact she was up somewhere high, but the aftermath of what would happen if she fell off of that high place. Glenn, however, jumped with no hesitation and no problem. Kida tossed her bag and gun over him before taking a quick glance down at the ground between the buildings. She immediately regretted it and felt sick and her stomach turned.

"Oh come on fearless cop lady, what are you afraid of?" Glenn called across the buildings to her. She rolled her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Well, on the bright side, it will be the fall that kills me," she yelled back. Glenn smirked and gestured for her to run and jump.

She closed her eyes and took a few breaths before mentally preparing herself for the jump. She opened her eyes and stared across the rooftops at Glenn. She walked to edge and peeked down one more time. A couple of walkers were beginning to stumble into the clearing between the two buildings, their growls very audible. She flung her backpack across and Glenn caught it with ease. Show off. She exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding and slowly began to back up. She'd have to jump eventually, and it was now or never. She closed her eyes one more time and ran to the edge of the building, opening them as soon as she reached ledge to jump. She didn't land as gracefully as Glenn had, she rolled a few times before stopping and getting up. When she stopped, she felt the pain immediately course through her right arm.

"Shit Kida, are you alright?!" Glenn asked as he sprinted over to her. He helped her to her feet and his eyes widened at the sight of her arm.

"What? What happened to-" she looked down and saw the blood running down her arms quickly checked for the wound. She had a giant gash above her elbow. "Well… fuck."

Glenn pulled a rag out of his own backpack and held it to the gash on her arm. She winced in pain while she rummaged through her bag to find a bottle of water Adrienne had packed for her. When she did, she poured it down her arm and the blood steamed down to the concrete. Glenn wiped up the excess blood and handed her bandages that he kept on him at all times. It took three to cover the wound. Once she was bandaged up, Glenn helped her up and she dusted herself off. She felt stupid for being so clumsy; she was never this clumsy in the field. Every fitness test she took she passed with flying colors and she couldn't even jump across the rooftops correctly or without hurting herself.

Kida was the first to spot an opening on the roof that led down into the store. She opened it and looked down into the hole. It was dark inside and she could hear the moans of the undead, but she couldn't tell if it was coming from inside or if it was from the walkers in the alley. Glenn shined a flashlight down and whistled to draw attention to anything that was roaming around inside. After a few moments one walker came. They waited a little longer for any other walkers to appear but it was just the one snarling and disgusting looking walker. They moved away from the entrance and waited nearly twenty minutes before looking down into the hole again. The walker had moved somewhere else in the building and they now had the opportunity to drop down to get supplies. Glenn went in first since he wasn't injured and flashed his flashlight around to check for the lone walker. Unfortunately, he was alone and it was coming toward him.

"GLENN!" Kida shouted. She watched as the walker came at Glenn. He wasn't armed and ready for it.

She dropped down into the hole and landed on her feet, much to her surprise. She saw Glenn struggling to keep the walker far enough away to keep it from biting him as he tried to retrieve his knife. Kida quickly pulled her pocket knife from her pocket and ran toward the walker. She slammed the knife into the back of the walker's skull and it went limp as it fell on top of Glenn. Panting, he pushed the walker off of himself and backed away from its dead body. He looked up at Kida and noticed the smirk she had on her face and she cleaned her knife on a towel resting on the nearby shelf and shoving it in her pocket.

"Looks like we're even," she told him. A smile crept up on his face too.

"Looks like it. We make a good team, Reed."

They split up and began shoving whatever they find that would be useful in their bags, careful to not miss anything on the list Dale had given them. Glenn had found a walker so deteriorated and without legs, only bones. He put it out of his misery and sadly continued searching for supplies. The place was nearly full, and after noticing they had killed one female walker and one male they realized they must have been the owners that locked themselves in the store before their deaths. No one else had gotten the chance to get it and loot the place. It was sad, really. A couple locking themselves up in a store to try and survive and one turned and feasted on the other. All they could really do is thank whatever higher power they believed in that they hadn't suffered that fate.

* * *

Kida and Glenn arrived back at camp safe and sound. They had gotten extremely lucky in town because most of the walkers had wandered into the small alley between the two buildings they had jumped between. They were able to sneak out and get to the car before any of the walkers could notice them making their getaway. Dale and Jacqui helped them get all of the supplies unloaded and put into their rightful spots. Of course, Merle took that opportunity to approach them and ask for the cigarettes and booze he requested.

"Ay girlie, where's my shit?" he asked Kida.

"We didn't get anything you wanted Merle. Didn't have time," she told him.

"Excuse me? You think your own stuff is so important you couldn't get ol' Merle the things he wants? You'll get all these jackasses what they want but none for me? Well well lady cop, I'm starting to think you don't like us Dixons. Thought all you pigs were suppose to treat everyone fairly," he said with that same toothy grin on his face. He struck a nerve with Kida, exactly what he wanted.

She slammed down the can of beans she was about to hand to Jacqui and turned to face the oldest Dixon brother. Everyone had gotten quiet and was now watching them. She inched closer to Merle and his grin grew even wider.

"You know what Merle Dixon? I don't like you. Every single time we come into contact you insult me in some way. That's harassment, buddy. I'm not going to deal with your rude, arrogant, and offensive comments. I didn't get your shit because I was too worried about getting enough food and other supplies that will help the whole group. Not you. Back the hell off from now on," she told him. His grin disappeared.

"You shut your fucking mouth you selfish bitch! You think your prissy ass can waltz up in here and take over and make decisions of who gets what? Not how this works princess, you might want to consider watching your mouth and start listening to the men around here. You ain't no hot shot cop screwing her way to the top no more," he told her.

Without thinking, she slapped him across the face. That was enough to piss him off even more. "You wanna know why I hate you Dixon? Because you're everything I hate in a person. I arrested plenty of shit-brains like you during my time on the force."

He raised his hand to smack her and was stopped by Shane and Glenn jumping between them. T-Dog pulled Merle away from Kida and Daryl rushed to his brother's side to keep everyone else off of him. It was a giant mess. Daryl pulled Merle away toward their tents while Merle cussed up a storm at Kida and Shane pulled her aside for a few choice words.

"You can't be causing a commotion like this Kida," Shane whispered to her, trying to remain out of earshot from everyone else.

"I know, I know. But you heard him," she told him. She was never one to let people talk down to her and Shane knew that.

"We just got here. Ain't been here for more than 24 hours, we can't be risking getting kicked out already."

"I'm sorry. I will keep my distance from Dixon. It won't happen again."

"I know. Come on girl, let's go get some lunch, I'm sure Merle will be over it by dinner. Saved you can of those nasty ass spaghetti-o's you love so much," he told her.

A small smile formed on her face and Shane put his arm around her shoulder. He put her into a headlock jokingly and led her toward the rest of the group. Everyone was a bit tense after the altercation between her and Merle, but quickly got over it and shared a lunch together. Merle and Daryl disappeared into the woods to do some hunting and everyone moved on to their chores once they were finished eating. It was like the world hadn't gone to shit, like they were all in a community that worked and lived together in harmony. With the exclusion of Merle Dixon, of course.

Maybe the situation was going to work out after all… as long as the Dixons stayed away from her.

* * *

Please review!


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

A week and a half had gone by smoothly at camp. Glenn and Kida's run the morning before their group merged with Dale's, the run they went on the next day, and the hunting the Dixon brothers had been doing kept the group going and they hadn't had any incident with walkers. They were lucky, and everyone was thanking their lucky stars to still be alive and as well off as they were. Everyone had found a new role in the merged group. Everyone except Kida and T-Dog, that is.

Lori, Carol, Amy, Andrea, and Jacqui were in charge of laundry, cooking, and keeping the camp tidy- typical female roles. It was beginning to take a toll on Andrea, she saw things as Kida did- women are not just housewives. The other females of the group, Adrienne and Miranda, took on the roles as teachers and babysitters for all of the kids. Miranda, of course, worked the best with her own children and Adrienne took charge over Carl and Sophia. They loved her. Kida didn't really fit into either role. She loved keeping Carl and Sophia company during down time, but she certainly wasn't as master with children and she sure as hell wasn't a housewife.

Dale, Charlie, Morales, and occasionally Shane took turns keeping watch over the group on top of Dale's RV. Shane, when he wasn't taking a shift, was busy being the ringleader of the group. It was a role he took to all too well. Every day he was sending out messages over a radio Dale had found during the first few days of the apocalypse in order to warn people away from Atlanta. The Dixon brothers were the resident hunters. They went every two days and brought back numerous animals from the woods to cook up for dinner for a couple days. The group, even though Kida hated to admit it, were lucky to have them for that job. Even Glenn was fitting well into the group, he and Jim took on the role of fixing the RV and keeping all of the cars in top shape. A few of the cars at the camp were abandoned and brought in from nearby streets surrounding the outskirts of the woods. Jim was teaching Glenn everything he knew about cars.

That left Kida and T-Dog. They went anywhere they were needed for a while and then they were back to doing nothing, much like Ed. Ed never did anything except sit on his ass, smoke cigarettes, drink whatever booze he can get his hands on, and try to order Carol around. It made everyone sick. Whenever Kida and T-dog got stuck in situations where they had nothing to do, they did and inventory of supplies, cleaned all of the weapons, and kept the water supply clean and made sure there was always plenty of it. They were already friends, but they had time to bond and become closer. When she didn't have Adrienne, Charlie, or Glenn around to talk to, T-Dog was her guy.

This particular morning, Kida was sent to the women to do laundry and dishes. Andrea and Amy were asked to go fishing, leaving Lori, Carol, and Jacqui short-handed. She gave T-Dog a pleading look to save her, but all he did was chuckle and shove her toward the small lake where the other women were. Dishes and laundry were definitely not Kida's cup of tea. She did them when she needed to before the world went to shit, but she never enjoyed it. Adrienne was always the neat freak, constantly cleaning whenever she had down time. There were times she'd go to Kida's to watch a movie and drink and end up cleaning her whole kitchen. It was surprising that it wasn't her job now.

"How are you today, Carol?" she asked, taking a shirt out of Glenn and Charlie's basket. They were too lazy to split up their clothing and just threw everything into one basket.

"I'm… I'm ok. Just tired. I um, Sophia was tossing and turning all night and…" Carol said. She was staring at the water, scrubbing Ed's shirt thoroughly.

"You can talk to us Carol. We know Ed ain't good to you or Sophia," Lori whispered. She met eyes with Kida, who gave her a nod in return.

"He loves us. It's just… this world. Whatever this is now, he's stressed. We all are," Carol told her.

"Stress don't cause bruises on others Carol," Jacqui said. Lori whipped her head toward her and glared. If every had learned anything about Jacqui in their time together it was that she is that she could be the world's sweetest woman and at other times always be honest and blunt.

Carol fell silent after Jacqui's remark and the look on her face showed she was ashamed everyone knew what she dealt with when it came to Ed. Shane and Kida always kept a close eye on Carol and Sophia whenever Ed was around to make sure he wasn't causing trouble. Everyone knew he beat Carol. Sophia didn't have nearly as many bruises as Carol did, but Shane guessed long before Kida did that she was being abused in other ways. It sickened them, but they couldn't prove anything. Still, they watched and waited until they could. If they went and accused Ed, he'd get dangerous.

"You can talk to us Carol. We won't tell him anything you say," Kida told her. Carol gave her a small, forced smile in return and went back to her work. As if on cue, Ed emerged from his tent and made his way over to all of them.

"Ain't your job to chit chat," he grunted.

"Ain't your job to tell us what to do, Ed. The laundry will be done soon," Lori told him as calmly as she could.

"Don't back-talk me, woman. You think because you're shoved up officer jackass's own ass that you're the queen of this camp. You ain't rulin' over us men. Either of ya," he said, moving his eye from Lori to Kida. "Fuckin' with the so-called 'leader' won't get none of you anywhere."

Kida threw Charlie's half washed pants down into the water and made a beeline for Ed. He attempted to stand his ground, but his eyes widened as she got closer. Lori, Jacqui, and Carol rose from their spots just as Kida punched Ed in the face as hard as she could. In the real world, she would have gone down in flames at the department for police brutality. In this world, she wasn't restricted by law anymore. Ed deserved every bit of hell he would ever get. He growled and raised his fist to hit her back but she was too quick for him and dodged it. She punched him again, and this time his knees buckled and he fell to the ground, hand over his gushing nose.

Carol ran forward to shield her husband from anything else Kida was going to give him when T-Dog, Daryl, Dale, and Shane arrived at the scene. Ed rose to his feet and shoved Carol aside, ready to lunge at Kida. Shane and T-Dog grabbed him and shoved him back, shouting at him to drop it and go back to his tent. Reluctantly, he spit blood onto the ground from his split lip and pulled Carol back toward their tent. Kida immediately regretted hitting him after the thought of what he might do to Carol crossed her mind. Shane turned to meet her gaze and he looked furious. This was the second fight she had gotten into in a week and he had warned her after the first one with Merle. That one had died down quickly, but the repercussions of this one wasn't going to be pretty. As he started toward her, a hand wrapped around her arms and pulled her away.

It was Daryl Dixon. And he was leading her into the woods.

* * *

Kida and Daryl walked for awhile, not saying a word to one another. He had rescued her from one of Shane's angry speeches and she had no idea why. She'd barely spoken to the man and she'd been a straight up bitch to his brother, the man he was always with in all situations. She knew the silence would have to end sooner or later, and she was beginning to dread the moment when it would. For all she knew, Daryl could have become friends with Ed. Merle and Ed were both rude, angry, and disrespectful to everyone. The women, especially. It would make sense for the three of them to be drawn to each other and form some sort of jackass pack.

"What'd he do?" Daryl asked her. The silence wasn't going to last as long as she had hoped it would.

"Opened his fat mouth and insulted Lori and I," she told him truthfully. "I know you don't think much of any of us, but what he said was completely out of line."

"Don't doubt it," he grunted.

"Why'd you pull me away? After what happened with your brother I figured you'd be glad to watch me get fried by Shane," she asked him. He gave he a sideways glanced and cleared his throat.

"Figured you had a good reason for beating that bastard's ass so I saved you before King Shane could yell 'off with her head'," he told her. She was beginning to be thankful for his actions.

"Thanks," she told him. Something she never thought she'd be saying in this world, especially to him. He grunted and kept walking.

"Saved a fight among a couple. Got enough of that going on with Ed and his family," he told her.

"A couple?" she asked. She was shocked he even thought her and Shane were remotely involved. The past week they hadn't been around each other much except when he'd join her and T-Dog for weapon cleaning.

"You and the all-mighty ruler of this god-forsaken group."

"No," she told him.

"No what?" he asked, extremely confused.

"Shane and I, no."

Daryl suddenly got quiet and crouched down. Kida looked down at him in confusion and was immediately pulled down by him. He placed a finger to his lips to quiet her and pointed toward the clearing ahead of them. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight in front of them. She watched the man pull the woman to the ground and pull her shirt off, as she did the same to him. Both Daryl and Kida could hear the moans and grunts coming from the pair and they ran back the way they came to avoid watching what would become of the situation.

"So I guess ya'll really ain't a couple. Unless he's fucking Lori too," Daryl whispered to her.

* * *

"No." Kida said firmly. Charlie's expression dropped and looked to Glenn for assistance.

"Kida, come on. It will be quick, easy, and we will be back before you know it," Glenn pleaded.

"No. You aren't taking Charlie with you. You shouldn't even be going, it's a suicide mission," she told him.

"No, it's not. Look, there are a couple shops right at the very edge of the city. A comic book shop, a book store, a toy store…"

"Kida, we need some sort of entertainment or else we will go insane," Charlie interjected. She looked at the two in shock.

"You want to go on a suicide mission to get TOYS?!" she shouted. This drew Shane's attention.

"What now?" Shane asked, making his way over to the trio. Remembering what she had seen earlier that day, Kida moved away from him. She was still disgusted.

"Shane, maybe you can talk some sense into her," Charlie sighed.

"We want to make a run to Atlanta. Just to grab a couple things for the group. Like book and toys for the kids. We will be gone maybe two hours. We are quick and I know my way around. Everything is on the outskirts of town," Glenn explained.

"How many times do I have to tell you both no? I know how to say it in a couple different languages if you'd like me to begin," Kida told them. Charlie groaned and Glenn looked at the ground between them.

"Go," Shane told them. Kida's head snapped in his direction so quickly she was amazed she didn't get whiplash.

"EXCUSE ME?!"

"Kida, they're both responsible and fast. They can go scout out the area and see what it's like. Eventually we will all have to be making runs there, we have gotten too lucky with these small towns and you said yourself a few days ago that last one only has one or two runs worth of stuff left. Assuming we are the only ones draining the supplies from the stores," Shane told her.

"I'll take my gun Kida. If it's too dangerous, we'll come back immediately. Right Glenn?" Charlie assured her.

"Right," Glenn said. She was still terrified.

Kida turned and walked away from all three of the men, enraged Shane was going to let them risk their lives for some stupid toys and books. Charlie and Glenn wasted no time getting supplies ready and loading up a car Jim and Glenn had fixed up days before. She knew Shane had taken on the role as leader of their group, but she had vowed to protect Charlie and Adrienne at all costs. He was jeopardizing that.

When she heard the engine come to life on the car, she ran toward it and grabbed Glenn's arm through the rolled down window. "I'm coming with you," she told them. Charlie cast her a giant grin from the passenger seat.

"No, you're not," Shane said behind her. She spun around and met his gaze with a look of shock and anger on her face. "We need you here."

"I'm not letting them go alone," she told him.

"Yes you are. Charlie will never learn to do anything if you keep smothering him. Glenn, go. Be back in two hours," Shane told him. Glenn glanced at Kida with a sad expression on his face before taking off to Atlanta.

Kida turned back to Shane and gave him a look of disgust before setting off to find T-Dog.

* * *

Dinner time came and Charlie and Glenn were nowhere to be found. Kida made sure there was enough left and still hot for them, whenever they would appear. She had told Adrienne that Charlie left with Glenn and about her disagreement with Shane and all throughout dinner, she was Adrienne staring at the group of cars. She was waiting for her brother to come back, just like Kida was. Thankfully, they did come back. The first thing they did was join everyone for dinner and tell them about the run.

"We didn't get much. We were only able to get into the comic book shop. I got some cool stuff for the kids, and of course some stuff for me, T-Dog, and Charlie. Everyone is welcome to it, I grabbed stuff everyone could be interested in," Glenn offered.

"There were also blankets and cups and stuff of comic-themed stuff. We grabbed as much as we could before…" Charlie trailed off.

"Before what?" Adrienne asked, horrified of what his answer might be.

"Atlanta is worse than we thought," Glenn said quietly.

Everyone sat in silence for awhile, thinking about what Glenn had told them. A lot of them had been on the highway when the military started dropping bombs and whatever else they wanted onto the city. They had all seen walkers and how dangerous they could be. Glenn's words shot down any hope they all had of there still being life in Atlanta, any hope they had was gone. They were relying on Atlanta to be their salvation for supplies.

"Kida, I have a question," T-Dog said from across the campfire, breaking the silence.

"Shoot," she told him, shoving another bite of spaghetti-o's and meatballs in her mouth.

"Kidada… interesting name. I was wondering how you got it. I've only ever met women of color with the name Kidada," he told her. Everyone looked from T-Dog to Kida, awaiting an answer.

"Well, my mom's best friend's name was Kidada. I use to call her aunt Kida whenever I saw her. My mom opened an art gallery in Atlanta and asked Kidada to take over management and basically run the place," she explained. She cleared her throat before continuing with the hard part. "She was an amazing woman. She was so kind and loving. She had a son, Theodore. I never met him, just saw baby pictures that she flashed all the time to anyone willing to look. He was older than me by a couple years but she always kept his baby pictures. Always called him he greatest joy in life, and I her second. She was my god-mother."

"She was wonderful," Adrienne said from beside Kida. She placed a hand on Kida's shoulder to comfort her.

"What happened to her?" Sophia asked from Carol's lap. Carol shot Kida an apologetic look.

"She died," T-Dog answered. Everyone's heads turned toward T-Dog, questioning how he knew. "Cancer."

"How…" Kida gasped.

"T-Dog. People called me that because I didn't want to be called by my real name. My mom loved the name Theodore. She was the only one I let call me that," he told her.

Kida threw her hand over her mouth and her eyes filled with tears. He was Theodore Douglas, her god-mother's pride and joy. He rose from his seat and made his way over to her, offering his hand to help her up. He gave her a soft smile and pulled her into a hug. She cried for a moment during their embrace, a move extremely uncharacteristic for her. She tried at all costs not to let her feelings show. To be as stone wall. When he let her go, she wiped her eyes quickly and kissed him on the cheek. A piece of her former life was there with her all this time and she had no idea.

"She loved you. With all of her heart. I'm sorry I didn't know it was you all this time," T-Dog told her.

Kida nodded and wiped a few stray tears that had escaped her eyes. She looked around at the group watching them and Adrienne reached up and grabbed her hand. Kida saw Lori wiping a few tears from her own eyes and all of the other women smiling at the exchange that had just happened before them. Glenn patted an emotional T-Dog's back and once he returned to his seat, everyone began to chatter with each other again.

Kida regained composure and looked across the fire to smile at T-Dog. What she found, however, was Daryl staring at her. She could have sworn he actually smiled.

* * *

**More interaction with Daryl and Kida this time! Small, but I promise there is more to come of that. The link between T-Dog and Kida will be a very important factor in future chapters, so keep all of this in mind. Please review!**


	10. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Wow, hello everyone!

It has been a really long time and I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm coming back. My personal life has been all over the place and I haven't had time for writing, but I am inspired again and I'm so excited to get back on it.

More to come soon!

* * *

**-watchyourmouthsunshine**


	11. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:**

**Hello everyone! I know it has been a long time and I promised more coming soon and did not deliver. I have had a lot going on, but I am for sure back this time and have a lot in store for you! I made this chapter a bit longer than the rest and it has a lot of Kida/Daryl time, so hopefully you all can forgive me for waiting so long. I will be trying to post a new chapter once a week from now on and I will be working on a Glenn/OC story very soon. So, keep an eye out for that as well! Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Walking Dead, the characters, or anything the brilliant mind of Robert Kirkman and the producers of the show created. I only own Kida, Charlie, and Adrienne.**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

If Andrea hadn't been keeping track of the days on a beat up calendar in Dale's RV, no one would know the day. No one would even know how much time had passed since the world went to shit. The group was still working together to keep things going and to keep the camp safe, and they'd managed to make it two more weeks without incident. Of course, with the exception of the Peletier family. Everyone knew Ed was mistreating his family when no one else was looking. The problem was, no one could prove it when no one was looking and Carol denied everything. Ever since that day at the pond when Kida attacked Ed, he'd kept his distance. He didn't nag the women anymore during laundry time and he didn't so much as say a word to Kida under any circumstances. She was more than alright with that arrangement.

Shane was still sneaking off with Lori at night, but only Kida and Daryl knew that dirty little secret. It was blatantly obvious what was going on and it came as a huge shock to her that no one else had realized it yet. It was Daryl who had insisted she keep her mouth shut and not tell Glenn, T-Dog, Adrienne, or Charlie. She knew he had a point, since it would stir up drama if it got out and around camp, but it was killing her not to tell Adrienne at least. She wasn't a gossip by any means, but she and Adrienne kept no secrets from each other under and circumstances. It had always been a mutual understanding between them.

Kida's friendship with T-Dog had taken a wonderful turn once they found out who each other really was. He'd taken on the big brother role to her, and she was eternally grateful. She'd never had siblings, the closest she'd had were Charlie and Adrienne. She had to admit, having T-Dog around made things seem a little less awful. She, Glenn, Charlie, and T-Dog had become inseparable around the camp. It was a very rare instance that any of them would be seen without at least one of the others. The only exception came when Kida spent her time with Adrienne, who had become close with the other women of the group and the children. She was beginning to adjust more, which made Kida and Charlie less worried about her. Shane had even calmed down a bit and let his ego deflate a bit. Things were no longer tense between him and Kida anymore, except the fact Kida knew what he was going with Lori.

The only thing that was beginning to rub people the wrong was just how often Kida and Daryl found themselves near each other. Ever since he'd dragged her away from Shane and they discovered his and Lori's secret, things had changed between them. He wasn't exactly kind, the Dixon's certain weren't known to ever be kind, but he didn't treat Kida like he treated most others. He'd usually offered her the meat he'd cooked from his hunting game first, he'd taken over watch for her anytime she'd ask to slip away for a bathroom break, and she'd even managed to make him crack a smile once or twice. The rest of the group was beginning to notice- especially Merle. The mutual dislike between Kida and Merle had been well known to everyone since both groups had decided to merge and they'd kept their distance on most occasions. Seeing his little brother interact with her had led him to make harsh and unnecessary comments. Even then, Daryl didn't stop talking to her in passing or offering up the meat to her first.

It was Kida's turn to take watch for the day. She was tired from the late night shift before, but Dale insisted switching her for the last shift that night instead. He'd made the comment about the bags that were forming under her eyes and claimed she needed a good night of sleep for once. She didn't disagree, and this had gotten her out of laundry duty. She took off her flannel and tied it around her waist before tying her hair up into a messy ponytail and putting on her baseball cap with the word "police" on it. Shane had managed to keep his around as well and everyone else made jokes about them when they'd worn them on the same days. For a brief second, she reminisced about her old job. It was emotionally exhausting and she dealt with rough shit on most days, but she still missed it. She missed the world in general, not the shithole it had become. Before Dale could come around beckoning her to set up shop on top of the RV, she exited her tent and made her way over there with her favorite rifle hanging over her shoulder. Dale tossed his binoculars up to her and decided to join T-Dog for inventory to make himself useful.

It was getting really hot out during the days, sometimes almost unbearable. In no more than twenty minutes Kida already felt beads of sweat forming near her hairline and the back of her neck. She wiped her forehead with the sleeve of her flannel that she'd left tied around her waist and lifted the binoculars to her eyes. She checked every fifteen minutes for any sort of activity such as walkers or other survivors. Usually there was nothing, and this time was no different. A perimeter breach would mean a whole mess of trouble for the group, especially if it started to happen frequently. Placing the binoculars back down, she picked up her bottle and took a swig. The water was already hot, causing her to grimace and toss it back down with the rest of her pile.

"Kida!" she heard Charlie shout from below. She stepped toward the edge of the roof and looked down to see him and Glenn, their backpacks on and guns in their hands.

"What are you doing, Charlie?" she asked cautiously. She already knew the answer.

"Well, we need more supplies. More than just Glenn can handle by himself so…." He trailed off.

Kida's eyes darted over to Glenn who let out a nervous chuckle and shrugged. She knew he was right, Glenn had been going on his own too often ever since he and Charlie had gone to the city for the first time and he was not coming back with as much as the group really needed. She knew it was only a matter of time before Charlie would be wanting to go with him again and she knew it was only a matter of time before Glenn asked. The only people he trusted on runs were Kida, Charlie, and T-Dog. "Fine. Be careful Charlie, I mean it."

"Oh thanks for your concern for me," Glenn said sarcastically, rolling his eyes for effect. This caused laughter from both Charlie and Kida.

"BOTH of you be careful. Score me some Cool Ranch Doritos," she told them with wink and wide grin.

"You want those AND more spaghetti-o's? Alright then princess," Charlie said with a smug smile. He knew she hated being called a princess.

"Do it or I'll kick your ass later," she retorted.

Glenn laughed a bit louder than he should have and pushed Charlie toward the car. Kida watched as they loaded their bags and weapons in the back and made their way out of camp. She even watched them disappear toward Atlanta through the binoculars, at least until she couldn't see them anymore in the distance. Glenn had been in and out of Atlanta by himself three times in the past couple of weeks and he and Charlie made it out just fine the first time they'd tried. She knew they'd make it back alright, but she still couldn't help but worry more and more each time. Glenn tried to hide it from the group, but they knew Atlanta was getting worse and worse as the days went on. If they couldn't get in and out anymore, they'd have to move camp somewhere else. No one was ready to even think of that yet. Not with how well things had been going so far.

After a few more regular perimeter checks through the binoculars, noon had hit and it was Shane's turn to take over watch. The four hours had passed pretty quickly, all things considered. She handed off the binoculars to Shane and climbed down the ladder. She was greeted at the bottom by Adrienne, who had made some lunch for her. With a quick and gracious thank you, she headed back to her tent. Much to her surprise, she was stopped by Daryl. Usually he and Merle had taken off to do hunting by this time, but she hadn't seen Merle around at all since the night before.

"Hey, I thought you were out hunting," she told him.

"Nah, haven't gotten a chance to yet. Merle's lazy ass is asleep," he told her.

"Its noon, how is he still asleep?" Kida asked. Daryl shrugged and let out and inaudible grunt, and looked out to the rest of the camp. The women were finishing up with their lunches and on their way to fold the laundry they'd hung up hours before and Adrienne sat with the kids, no doubt working on school material.

"I was gonna ask if you wanted to go," he told her. Her eyes widened with shock. Daryl never went hunting with anyone other than Merle.

"I'll just slow you down," she told him honestly. She was good shot, but she'd never been hunting before. Using guns was too risky as it was and she didn't have a crossbow like Daryl did. "Or scare away all of the animals," she added with a small smile.

"We still have some meat from yesterday. Just wanted to catch some squirrels, maybe a rabbit or two. If you slow me down I'll cut you lose and you can come back and find something-" he glanced around camp before fixing his eyes on the women taking the laundry down, "womanly to do."

Kida's jaw dropped in fake horror at his words and she jokingly shoved his shoulder. "Give me a few minutes to eat and get myself prepared. I'll meet you by the clearing."

"Five minutes," he grunted. He turned and headed back toward Merle's motorcycle and began to rummage through his pack that was slung across the seat.

* * *

When Daryl had said five minutes, he literally meant five minutes. Only a good fifteen minutes had passed since Kida had entered her tent to eat her lunch and prepare for hunting and they were already in the middle of the woods. He moved fast and he was determined- it was interesting for Kida to see. She'd never been hunting with Daryl, but she and Glenn always joked about what hunting with the Dixon brothers would be like. So far, he'd put all of their ridiculous theories to shame. Once they made it to the middle of the woods he finally slowed his pace and held out a hand to stop her in her tracks. He held finger to his lips to signal that he needed silence and he tiled his head toward a nearby tree. Kida scanned the tree quickly and saw two squirrels chasing each other, hopping from branch to branch.

Daryl slowly pulled a small bag from his back pocket of his jeans and handed it to her before aiming his crossbow toward the tree. The squirrels, completely oblivious, continued to chase each other and essentially ignored them. They both paused for a brief moment and stared at one another. Kida knew Daryl was going to shoot anytime, but she wondered for a second which squirrel he would take. There was a plump one sitting on a lower branch, and in her mind she mentally placed a bet on that one. The squirrel on the higher branch lunged toward the plump one the same time the plump one decided to jump to the higher branch. Daryl took that opportunity to shoot one of his arrows and by some miracle he'd hit both in midair. The landed on the ground at the base of the tree and Kida's jaw dropped as Daryl went to retrieve them.

"Hold out the bag," he told her, sliding the squirrels off of his arrow and holding them out to her. Kida listened and bagged the squirrels for him, shaking her head in the process. This did not go unmissed by Daryl. "What are you shakin' your head for?"

"You're insane! Not in the literal sense, though the jury is still out for that one," she mumbled. A mixed look of confusion and annoyance crossed his face. "I meant with the shooting. Your shooting is insanely good. I've never seen anyone do something like that before." He shrugged and they continued on.

About an hour after the double squirrel kill, they found a small stream. Daryl took that opportunity to clean his arrows and Kida sat for a moment to count their squirrel bounty thus far. She had to admit, she was more than impressed. In just an hour they'd hit the jackpot with eight squirrels. The bag was filling up quickly, but she knew they would even start to head back until it was completely full. If they could manage a few more squirrels in the next couple of hours, along with the meat leftover from the night before, they'd all be eating a decent meal. It wasn't easy feeding about thirty people. In fact, Kida didn't even know how many people were in the camp anymore. Glenn had found two survivors on one of his runs the week before and brought them back and raised their numbers. She just knew it was getting a little cramped at camp and supplies were running lower and lower every day. A big run with more than just Glenn and Charlie would have to happen soon.

"What are you thinkin' about?" Daryl asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Just counting. Eight squirrels in an hour. I'm impressed."

"I've done better," he grunted. Kida rolled her eyes and snorted. The man clearly didn't know how to take a compliment. "Gonna need more to feed the camp."

"We still have at least a couple of hours before we need to head back. We can get more, assuming you and your angel of a brother haven't destroyed all of the little squirrel families around here." Kida noted Daryl become a bit stiff and uncomfortable when she mentioned Merle's name. "You alright?"

Daryl shook off his wet arrows and put them back with the rest of his quiver. He slung the strap of the crossbow over his shoulder and glanced out toward the trees. "Gonna head over there, try to find some more. Maybe a rabbit," he said as pointed toward a small gap of trees. He avoided the subject.

They trudged through the woods and Kida spotted a few more squirrels up in the trees. However, Daryl didn't even acknowledge them. At least not from what she could see. She found it extremely out of the ordinary, but she chose to keep her mouth shut. When he passed a rabbit, which he had specifically mentioned at the stream that he'd wanted, she became slightly worried. Ever since she'd mentioned Merle he'd been very distant and out of it. She knew he wasn't at all one of those guys that liked to discuss their feelings and what not, so she had no idea how to go about getting whatever the hell was the matter with him out of him. Eventually, it bugged her enough to speed up her steps and step in front of him to block him.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice calm.

"What's what?" he retorted, his voice clearly annoyed.

"You've ignored at least three squirrels and a rabbit that you of all people could have easily killed. Ever since I mentioned Merle, you've been silent and off your game," she told him.

Daryl shifted uncomfortably, showing that he was clearly not wanting to have this conversation. He let out an annoyed huff and readjusted his crossbow on his shoulder. "Merle's gonna be pissed when we get back. Surprised he hasn't come runnin' through the woods hollerin' like a maniac yet," he told her. He knew Merle hated her. No woman had ever spoken to him like she had on more than one occasion. Merle had dealt with plenty of angry women in the past, but none of the same women had treated him like Kida had on more than one occasion. She got under his skin. Daryl hated her at first too, but he realized it was only because Merle's jackass had pissed her off. He had respect for the woman in front of him. She didn't take his shit, and that was more than he himself could do.

"So what? I can handle Merle," she told him. That was exactly what he was afraid of.

"S'not that."

"Then what is it? Are you afraid he'll be pissed off at you?" she asked.

He snorted and stepped around her, slowing his pace to walk alongside her instead of in front of her like he had been before. "I ain't afraid of nothin'," he grumbled. "Just don't like dealin' with him when he's all fired up like that. He's gonna be aiming that rage at the both of us," he told her honestly. To his surprise, she shrugged.

"Don't matter. He snoozed, literally, and he losed," she said with a joking grin.

"Losed ain't a word," he told her with a small chuckled.

"Ain't ain't a word either, Dixon," she reminded him. She shook her head and let out a laugh that even made Daryl crack a genuine smile. "Let's get back. We've been out for about two and a half hours and it'll take a while to get back. Don't want Shane on my ass again. Merle will be enough, and then Shane will jump down my throat for causing even more problems" she told him.

Daryl shrugged and turned the direction that led back to camp. He quickly spotted another rabbit and shot it before Kida even realized what happened. He pulled he arrow out of it and placed it in the bag that she'd held with the squirrels. She smirked and slung the bag over her shoulder.

"Told you I was getting' a rabbit before dinnertime."

* * *

They'd both underestimated how angry Merle would be. They both stepped out of the woods, the bag full of their game still slung over Kida's shoulder, and Merle made it to them quicker than she'd ever seen him move before. He snatched the bag from her and threw on the ground, making the rabbit and squirrels make a sickening thud before the scattered on the ground in front of them. She'd barely paid attention to the shouting match going on between the brothers as she kneeled down to scoop them back up. She'd heard a lot of "bitch" "whore" and "why the fuck" thrown around before Shane inevitably made his way over. Even when she tried to ignore Merle and tune him out, she'd still get reprimanded.

"What the hell is going on?!" Shane demanded, angrily stepping between the arguing Dixon brothers. He casted a glance at Kida and shook his head- instant annoyance crept over her.

"I'll tell you what! My baby brother here didn't wait for me to wake up before trottin' round these woods with Officer Tit Bags here," Merle shouted, gesturing toward Kida.

"Don't call her that," Shane and Daryl said at the same time. The glanced at one another before turning their gaze back to Merle.

"You were asleep and I offered to help. Pretty much forced it," Kida lied. Daryl shot a confused look her way, but she chose to ignore it. "Everyone else had their jobs for the day and I decided to offer my help to Daryl instead of waking you up to do it."

"Don't ever think your whore ass can take my place. Did you at least give him a nice little taste of the goods for lettin' you slow him down and deprive the whole camp of a good dinner?" Merle seethed, a disgusting grin on his face that could rival the ones that cross Ed Peletier's face from time to time. That was enough to send Daryl and Shane both over the edge while Kida stood there stunned.

"Don't you EVER-" Shane shouted as he turned toward Merle. Kida grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him back while T-Dog and Morales stepped between everyone to calm the group down. Everyone from the camp was watching.

Daryl stepped around them and grabbed a tight hold of Merle's shirt, dragging him away from everyone else and into the woods. From the brief glimpse Kida managed to get of his face, he was angry. Even more-so than Merle had been when they'd arrived back at camp together. Kida looked at T-Dog and he gave her a sympathetic look before draping his arm over her shoulders and leading her toward the RV. Shane, without a word, took the bag of animals from her and made his way over toward the supplies. The crowd dispersed with quiet whispers and went back to their activities, or whatever they were doing before the nice little show they were given.

* * *

That night, neither of the Dixons attended dinner. Kida made a plate for Daryl and offered to take it to him, but Morales stopped her and delivered it to him along with another plate of food for Merle. The air was tense around the fire and the conversation was only filled with small talk. Glenn kept glancing at Kida, but didn't utter a word. It took all of three seconds for T-Dog to fill Charlie and Glenn in on the festivities when they'd made it back from their run. Charlie had interrogated Kida as soon as he heard to make sure she was alright, but Glenn still hadn't said a word to her about any of it. It was weird, but she was also kind of thankful that she didn't have anyone else pestering her about it.

Dale kept true to his word and set himself up on top of his RV for the late watch shift, the one Kida normally took. She made her way into her tent with Adrienne, but Glenn interrupted them before they could have their nightly talks. He politely asked if he could steal Kida away for a few minutes and Adrienne was too tired to argue. She'd be asleep by the time she'd come back anyway. He led her over toward where they normally had the fire for dinner and they sat down on a log. It was quiet for a moment, but Glenn quickly broke the silence.

"What's going on with you and Daryl?"

Kida snapped her head in his direction with wide, confused eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Everyone sees _something_. He doesn't treat you like he treats the rest of us. He doesn't even really talk to anyone but you and Merle. Unless he's making asshole comments to us," he told her.

Kida took a moment to think before answering. "Nothing. We're friends. Nothing happened out there today, if that is what you're asking. He hunted, I carried a bag around full of dead animals. We talked a little, but nothing serious and life changing," she told him. She didn't think it was that big of a deal, but everyone else seemed to be frazzled by it.

"Just be careful Kida. He's dangerous and he's aggressive," Glenn told her. She could hear the protectiveness in her voice, and she was grateful for it. She loved Glenn, he was becoming like family to her.

"You're wrong. He's misunderstood. I know how stupid as that sounds, especially coming from me. Merle is the one to worry about. If Merle wasn't around, Daryl would be very different toward everyone. Just please trust me. And don't pass on your suspicions to anyone else. I'm here telling you now that there is absolutely nothing going on and there is nothing to worry about." She glanced toward Daryl's tent and sighed. "He probably won't be speaking to me anymore after this afternoon anyway. Not if Merle has a say."

"I really don't like Merle. Especially after what he said to you."

"You heard about that too?"

"T told us everything," he said honestly. Kida groaned. "Don't worry about it. If he says anything to you again-"

"You won't do anything, Glenn. Don't mess with Merle Dixon. He's the aggressive and dangerous one. I'm not worth you getting killed by some ignorant, redneck asshole. Alright?"

"Whatever you say… Officer Tit Bags," he said. He tried to keep a straight face, but in the middle of 'tit bags' he broke and starting cracking up. Kida slapped him, a little harder than she'd meant to, and he laughed even harder.

"I hate you," she told him, standing and making her way back to her tent.

Glenn jogged to catch up to her, still laughing, and before she zipped up her tent he winked and said: "You can't hate me. We're all a family now!"

Kida shook her head and zipped up the tent securely. She pulled her gun from her waistband and placed it by her pillow- just in case. They couldn't be too prepared these days. She glanced over at Adrienne and surely enough she was asleep. When she got fully adjusted and comfortable (or as comfortable as she _could _get) she found herself getting sleepier. It had really been a long day. Before she closed her eyes, she played through the events of the afternoon in her head: the hunting, the time with Daryl, Merle…. One thing was for sure- she had no idea what was in store for her the next day.

* * *

**What did you guys think? Leave a review and let me know! I have a special surprise in store for you guys in the next chapter and I will try to have the new chapter up by Tuesday :D**


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